Daily Recovery Readings - October 13

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God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
and Wisdom to know the difference.
Thy will, not mine, be done.

October 13

Daily Reflections

UNREMITTING INVENTORIES

Continue to watch for selfishness, dishonesty, resentment,
and fear. When these crop up, we ask God at once to remove
them. We discuss them with someone immediately and make
amends quickly if we have harmed anyone. Then we resolutely
turn our thoughts to someone we can help.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 84

The immediate admission of wrong thoughts or actions is a
tough task for most human beings, but for recovering alcoholics
like me it is difficult because of my propensity toward ego,
fear and pride. The freedom the A.A. program offers me becomes
more abundant when, through unremitting inventories of myself,
I admit, acknowledge and accept responsibility for my wrong-doing.
It is possible then for me to grow into a deeper and better
understanding of humility. My willingness to admit when the
fault is mine facilitates the progression of my growth and helps
me to become more understanding and helpful to others.

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Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

A.A. work is one hundred percent voluntary. It depends on each
and every one of our members to volunteer to do his or her share.
Newcomers can sit on the sidelines until they have got over their
nervousness and confusion. They have a right to be helped by all,
until they can stand on their own feet. But the time inevitably
comes when they have to speak up and volunteer to do their share
in meetings and in twelfth step work. Until that time comes, they
are not a vital part of A.A. They are only in the process of being
assimilated. Has my time come to volunteer?

Meditation For The Day

God's kingdom on earth is growing slowly, like a seed in the
ground. In the growth of his kingdom there is always progress
among the few who are out ahead of the crowd. Keep striving for
something better and there can be no stagnation in your life.
Eternal life, abundant life is yours for the seeking. Do not
mis-spend time over past failures. Count the lessons earned
from failures as rungs upon the ladder of progress. Press onward
toward the goal.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may be willing to grow. I pray that I may keep
stepping up on the rungs of the ladder of life.

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As Bill Sees It

FAITH-A BLUEPRINT-AND WORK, p. 284

"The idea of 'twenty-four-hour living' applies primarily to the
emotional life of the individual. Emotionally speaking, we must not live
in yesterday, nor in tomorrow.

"But I have never been able to see that this means the individual, the
group, or A.A. as a whole should give no thought whatever to how to
function tomorrow or even in the more distant future. Faith alone
never constructed the house you live in. There had to be a blueprint
and a lot of work to bring it into reality.

"Nothing is truer for us of A.A. than the Biblical saying 'Faith without
works is dead.' A.A.'s services, all designed to make more and better
Twelfth Step work possible, are the 'works' that insure our life and
growth by preventing anarchy or stagnation."

LETTER, 1954

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Walk In Dry Places

When are we receiving guidance?
Guidance
We have to face the fact that what we see as divine guidance may simply be an expression of self-will.. We are all too familiar with examples of people who did terrible things, claiming to be obeying orders from God.
We cannot judge whether another is really receiving guidance from a Higher Power. In our own lives, however, we can learn to distinguish between God’s guidance and our self-will. The outstanding characteristic of a divinely guided action is the strong sense of peace it brings. Even if we have to deny oureslves for a time, we sense that the final outcome of any decision will be beneficial for all concerned. We do not have to argue for or defend our decision.
When self-will is in the saddle, we may find ourselves being called on to justify our actions. We may also have to quell or rationalize feelings of guilt or doubt.
The right answers come when self-will is working in harmony with the Higher Will. Our lves will have a quality that everybody senses, including ourselves.
Knowing that self-will can easily lead me astray, I'll listen today for the divine voice of my Higher Power.

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Keep It Simple

Self-pity is one of the most dangerous forms of self-centeredness. It fogs our vision. ---Kathy S.
Sometimes we get stuck in our own way of seeing things. We may feel as if everything that happens, happens to us or for us. If it rains, we may think about our ruined picnic and not about the dry fields that need the rain. We need to focus on the big picture. This keeps us from becoming self-centered. If it rains, we’ll gather indoors and be glad for the farmers. When we do our part, things go well. When we don’t we feel it. Every else feels it too. Self pity keeps us from doing our part.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me see myself as a big part of the picture. My job is just is to do my part.
Action for the Day: Today, I’ll think about how I fit in with my Higher Power, my family, the place I work, my community. Do I do my part?

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Each Day a New Beginning

Never turn down a job because you think it's too small; you don't know where it can lead. --Julia Morgan
How short is our vision of where an invitation might take us! Any invitation. Of one thing we can be certain, it offers an opportunity for making a choice, which means taking responsibility for who we're becoming. Choice making is growth enhancing because it strengthens our awareness of personal power.
Our lives unfold in small measures, just as small as they need to be for our personal comfort. It's doubtful that we could handle everything the future has in store, today; however, we will be prepared for it, measure by measure, choice by choice, day by day. We need not fear; what is meted out to us in the invitations offered is for our benefit. We are on a pathway to goodness.
The thrill of making choices is new to many of us when we enter this program. We'd opted for the passive life, all too often, and we became increasingly aware of, and often depressed by, our self-imposed powerlessness. Free at last! We are free at last to fully participate in our lives.
I will be grateful for the many options to act tugging at me today. Every choice I make strengthens my womanhood.

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Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

THERE IS A SOLUTION

Here was the terrible dilemma in which our friend found himself when he had the extraordinary experience, which as we have already told you, made him a free man.
We, in our turn, sought the same escape with all the desperation of drowning men. What seemed at first a flimsy reed, has proved to be the loving and powerful hand of God. A new life has been given us or, if you prefer, “a design for living” that really works.

p. 28

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Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition - Stories

Alcoholic Anonymous Number Three

Pioneer member of Akron's Group No. 1, the first A.A. group in the world. He kept the faith; therefore, he and countless others found a new life.

ONE OF FIVE children, I was born on a Kentucky farm in Carlyle County. My parents were well-to-do people and there marriage was a happy one. My wife, a Kentucky girl, came with me to Akron where I completed my course in law at the Akron Law School.

p. 182

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Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Step Four - "Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves."

The most common symptoms of emotional insecurity are worry, anger, self-pity, and depression. These stem from causes which sometimes seem to be within us, and at other times to come from without. To take inventory in this respect we ought to consider carefully all personal relationships which bring continuous or recurring trouble. It should be remembered that this kind of insecurity may arise in any area where instincts are threatened. Questioning directed to this end might run like this: Looking at both past and present, what sex situations have caused me anxiety, bitterness, frustration, or depression? Appraising each situation fairly, can I see where I have been at fault? Did these perplexities beset me because of selfishness or unreasonable demands? Or, if my disturbance was seemingly caused by the behavior of others, why do I lack the ability to accept conditions I cannot change? These are the sort of fundamental inquiries that can disclose the source of my discomfort and indicate whether I may be able to alter my own conduct and so adjust myself serenely to self-discipline.

p. 52

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"Don't dwell on what went wrong. Instead, focus on what to do next.
Spend your energies on moving forward toward finding the answer."
--Denis Waitley

I pray to see the path God lights for me as I am at times blinded by my own lack of
consciousness or lack of faith.
--Shelley

Spend 2 minutes a day reassuring yourself that you are made of loving
thoughts. Spend the rest of the day acting on those thoughts.
--unknown

"Those who walk with God always get to their destination."
--Unknown

"No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it to anyone else."
--Charles Dickens

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Father Leo's Daily Meditation

PREJUDICE

"I am the inferior of any man
whose rights I trample underfoot."
-- Horace Greeley

Now I can see my feelings of inferiority in the assumed arrogance of my past
behavior. Now I see that behind the pride was the need to prove myself. The
manipulation was a cover for my insecurity.

At some point years ago I accepted the idea that I was not good enough and needed
to pretend to be something different. The use of alcohol was part of this disease
process. Money, friends, fast cars and debts were all drawn into the delusion.

Today I am learning to accept me. I am not a millionaire, I will probably never be a
millionaire and so I do not need to adopt the lifestyle of a millionaire! I work in an
office. I drive a Ford. But today I am happy. Today I can pay my bills. Today I have
friends who are involved in my life. Today I do not have to put people down to
feel important. Today I have discovered that the people I treated with disdain are
just like me.

I pray that I may receive healing and forgiveness from those I considered inferior.

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Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."
Mark 9:23

"The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forever more."
Psalm 121:8

"Come near to God and he will come near to you."
James 4:8a

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Daily Inspiration

Good is always coming to you. No matter what is happening in your life, you can bless it with prayer and be peaceful. Lord, You give me the courage to face any situation confidently and victoriously.

Choose to be worthy to yourself and never confuse self worth with behavior. Lord, help me to be less critical of my past and see that this moment right now is all that I can do anything about.

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NA Just For Today

Making A Difference

"Words cannot describe the sense of spiritual awareness that we receive when we have given something, no matter how small, to another person."

Basic Text p. 100

Sometimes it seems as though there is so much wrong with the world that we might as well forget trying to make a difference. "After all," we think, "what in the world can I do? I'm just one person." Whether our concerns are so broad that we desire global peace or so personal that we simply want recovery made available to every addict who wants it, the task seems overwhelming. "So much work to do, so little time," we sigh, sometimes wondering how we'll ever do any good.

Amazingly enough, the smallest contributions can make the biggest difference. To gain more from life than an ordinary, plodding existence requires very little effort on our parts. We ourselves are transformed by the deep satisfaction we experience when we lift the spirits of just one person. When we smile at someone who is frowning, when we let someone in front of us on the freeway, when we call a newcomer just to say we care, we enter the realm of the extraordinary.

Want to change the world? Start with the addict sitting next to you tonight, and then imagine your act of kindness multiplied. One person at a time, each one of us makes a difference.

Just for today: An act of kindness costs me nothing, but is priceless to the recipient. I will be kind to someone today.

pg. 299

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You are reading from the book Today's Gift.
...(the king) can deprive them of the benefit of sun and rain, . . . and they are at the same time pelted from above with great stones, . . . while the roofs of their houses are beaten to pieces. --Jonathan Swift
How do we punish those momentarily gone wrong? Do we try hurting with words--jab them in the heart with some spear-shaped phrases, slap them in the face with an insult or two? Maybe we like to poison them with a strong dose of silence. Have we tried to make them feel bad by making them feel sorry for us? Do we remind them daily that what went wrong with our lives is really all their fault?
We must remember that we are the rulers of our own lives only, and this knowledge gives us the power to punish only ourselves. It also gives us control over our lives, so that others' actions need not wrong us, and we need not punish.
Have I been punishing someone?


You are reading from the book Touchstones.
I can sing a prayer as well as say it. --Baal Shem Tov
Lightness of spirit, song, and liberation are the products of a hearty spirituality. There is never a moment we don't have reason to fret or mourn. If we need to grieve, our recovery helps and supports us. But more than that, we are freed in this new life to be men of song and humor. We can sing although life is painful, because we are part of a group of recovering people. We're part of an unfolding mystery. We have love and it is beautiful.
Each time we let go of a secret or an old guilt or a worry about the future, our spirit is lightened. Maybe we experience this at its fullest while spending time with friends who take us just as we are. Perhaps we find it by seeing a funny movie or singing with a group. In the wisdom of the Steps, we are asked to do difficult and painful tasks, which lead to our spiritual awakening. A light spirit celebrates the outcome of our hard work.
I will remember that my laughter and song are also ways of praying.


You are reading from the book Each Day a New Beginning.
Never turn down a job because you think it's too small; you don't know where it can lead. --Julia Morgan
How short is our vision of where an invitation might take us! Any invitation. Of one thing we can be certain, it offers an opportunity for making a choice, which means taking responsibility for who we're becoming. Choice making is growth enhancing because it strengthens our awareness of personal power.
Our lives unfold in small measures, just as small as they need to be for our personal comfort. It's doubtful that we could handle everything the future has in store, today; however, we will be prepared for it, measure by measure, choice by choice, day by day. We need not fear; what is meted out to us in the invitations offered is for our benefit. We are on a pathway to goodness.
The thrill of making choices is new to many of us when we enter this program. We'd opted for the passive life, all too often, and we became increasingly aware of, and often depressed by, our self-imposed powerlessness. Free at last! We are free at last to fully participate in our lives.
I will be grateful for the many options to act tugging at me today. Every choice I make strengthens my womanhood.


You are reading from the book The Language of Letting Go.
Substance over Form
I'm learning that for a variety of reasons, I've spent much of my life focusing on form rather than substance. My focus has been on having my hair done perfectly, wearing the right clothes, having my makeup applied perfectly, living in the right place, furnishing it with the right furniture, working at the right job, and having the right man. Form, rather than substance, has controlled my behavior in many areas of my life. Now, I'm finally getting to the truth. It's substance that counts. --Anonymous
There is nothing wrong in wanting to look our best. Whether we are striving to create a self, a relationship, or a life, we need to have some solid ideas about what we want that to look like.
Form gives us a place to begin. But for many of us, form has been a substitute for substance. We may have focused on form to compensate for feeling afraid or feeling inferior. We may have focused on form because we didn't know how to focus on substance.
Form is the outline; substance is what fills it in. We fill in the outline of ourselves by being authentic; we fill in the outline of our life by showing up for life and participating to the best of our ability.
Now, in recovery, we're learning to pay attention to how things work and feel, not just to what they look like.
Today, I will focus on substance in my life. I will fill in the lines of myself with a real person - me. I will concentrate on the substance of my relationships, rather than what they look like. I will focus on the real working of my life, instead of the trappings.


I am at peace today knowing that God is doing for me what I cannot do for myself. --Ruth Fishel

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Journey To The Heart
October 13
You Are on Time

Quit wondering, worrying, and blaming yourself for being late. Or worse yet, missing the boat.

“Nothing else in the universe frets about being late. Does the moon ask itself if it’s where it should be? Does the sun say, “I must hurry, else I’ll be late?” a friend asked one evening when I was worrying about not being on time.

Stare up into the sky on a beautiful moonlit night. Feel the quiet, timeless rhythm of the planets, the moon, the stars, the universe. Know that you’re connected, tuned into a rhythm deeper and more secure than all your wondering could imagine. Breathe deeply. Relax. Let your pace spring from knowing that inside your heart.

Trust the rhythm of the universe. You are right where you need to be. You’ll get where you need to go. You have all the time you need.

*****

more language of letting go
Let go of what you can't see,too

Let life unfold, even if you can't see the good that you want coming your way. Are you worried about what's going to happen next? Has there been a shift in your job or relationship that makes you tense?

Let life unfold. Don't limit it by the past or even by what you can see and visualze. Don't deny that you feel discouraged or anxious. Let today unfold. Then tomorrow, do the same. If you've been worrying about something and you can't see how it could possibly work out and there's nothing to do now, then relax and let things unfold.

Sometimes the unexpected things that manifest are better than what we can imagine or see. Even if we can't see the good coming our way, God can.

God, help me know that what is unseen today will be made clear when the time is right.

*****

The Start of Change
Breaking Family Cycles by Madisyn Taylor

Breaking the chains of family cycles can be done, and it only takes one person to step and take action.

It is easy to believe that in leaving our childhood homes and embarking upon the journey of adulthood, we have effectively removed ourselves from harmful and self-perpetuating familial patterns. In looking closely at ourselves, however, we may discover that our behaviors and beliefs are still those that were impressed upon us during our youth by our parents, grandparents, and the generations that preceded them. We may find ourselves unconsciously perpetuating cycles of the previous generations, such as fear of having enough, not showing affection, and secrecy patterns. Yet the transmission of negative patterns from one generation to the next is not inevitable. It is possible to become the endpoint at which negative family cycles that have thrived for generations are exhausted and can exert their influence no longer. Breaking the pattern is a matter of overcoming those values imprinted upon us long ago in order to replace them with pure love, tolerance, and conscious awarenes! s.

Even if you have struggled with the cumulative effects of family cycles that were an expression of established modes of living and a reflection of the strife your ancestors were forced to endure, you can still liberate yourself from the effects of your family history. The will to divest yourself of old, dark forms of familial energy and carry forth a new loving energy may come in the form of an epiphany. You may one day simply realize that certain aspects of your early life have negatively affected your health, happiness, and ability to evolve as an individual. Or you may find that in order to transcend long-standing patterns of limiting beliefs, irrational behavior, and emotional stiltedness, you have to question your values and earnestly examine how your family has impacted your personality. Only when you understand how family cycles have influenced you can you gain freedom from those cycles.

In order to truly change, you must give yourself permission to change. Breaking family patterns is in no way an act of defiance or betrayal. It is important that you trust yourself implicitly when determining the behaviors and beliefs that will help you overwrite the generation-based cyclical value system that limited your individual potential. Many people are on the earth at this time to break family cycles, for all of you are true pioneers. In breaking negative family cycles, you will discover that your ability to express your feelings and needs grows exponentially and that you will embark upon a journey toward greater well-being that can positively impact generations to come. Published with permission from Daily OM

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A Day At A Time

Reflection For The Day

My progress in recovery depends in large measure of my attitude, and my attitude is up to me. It’s the way I decide to look at things. Nobody can force an attitude on me. For me, a good attitude is a point of view unclouded by self-pity and resentments. There will be stumbling blocks in my path, without a doubt. But The Program has taught me that stumbling blocks can be turned into stepping stones for growth. Do I believe, as Tennyson put it, “that men may rise on stepping stones of their dead selves to hide things…”?

Today I Pray

May God help me cultivate a healthy attitude toward myself. The Program and other people. God, keep me from losing my spiritual stabilizers, which keep me level in purpose and outlook. Let me ignore self-pity, discouragement and my tendency to over-dramatize. Let no dead-weight burden throw me out of balance.

Today I Will Remember

I can’t be discouraged with God on my side.

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One More Day

You learn to build your roads on today, because tomorrow’s ground is too uncertain for plans, and futures have a way of falling down in mid-flight.
– Veronica Shoffstal

We may have lived a significant portion of our adult lives planning for the future. Although we must make some provision for tomorrow — savings accounts, wills, pension plans — our attempts to live a full, rewarding life must be made each day.

Growth occurs in the present; it’s never accomplished if it’s postponed until tomorrow. Each day we choose the direction of our lives, whether we know it or not. Either we take positive steps toward better goals and stronger values, or we move not at all by “planning” our lives in some uncertain future.

I will make good choices for myself in the reality of today.

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Food For Thought

Rigorous Honesty

As we work the OA program, we find that we cannot be rigorously honest about what we are eating unless we are rigorously honest about our other actions as well. Once our Higher Power takes charge of our lives, a general housecleaning occurs. Gradually, we see that the attitudes and activities, which undermine our integrity, have to go.

The housecleaning process can be painful. It involves facing aspects of ourselves, which we would prefer to remain hidden - our dependency, pride, selfishness, and avarice. Sex and money are often areas where our attitudes and practices need revision. What we are doing is shifting from an ego-centered to a God-centered orientation, and the shift is not always smooth.

Rigorous honesty shows up harmful relationships for what they are. It illumines our motives, which are not always the best. The love and care of our Higher Power support us as our weaknesses are exposed. Through His healing power, we are strengthened and made whole.

Grant me the ability to practice rigorous honesty in all areas of my life.

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One Day At A Time

HONESTY
“Honesty is the first chapter of the book of wisdom.”
Thomas Jefferson

Throughout my ups and downs in life and in working the Steps, I have discovered the importance of complete honesty. No matter what I feel or think, being honest about it with myself, others and God helps me to stay in a healthier state of physical, emotional and spiritual wellness. When I first started in the program, the idea of telling my Higher Power how I really felt was foreign to me. Sure I asked for help and “explained” what I was going through, but I didn’t often pour my heart out. I didn’t want to offend or burden God with complaints or weakness.

With the help of the Steps, I have let go of the formal prayers I learned in my youth and I more often tell God the way my life really is. Sometimes that includes sharing my negative attitude, crying, or just conversing casually with God. My Higher Power is full of acceptance and understanding and is pleased every time I share my honest thoughts and feelings with Him.

The years of denying and burying my feelings have resulted in an automatic reaction to not allow myself to feel or think straight in lots of situations. If I can take the time to identify exactly where I am and then honestly admit that to God and others (when needed), I have made progress.

Sharing my true self with a sponsor or in a meeting helps, too. It lifts the blinders from my eyes so that I can see my reality and proceed from there. If I hide from God, fool myself or deceive others, I rob myself of honesty which is the foundation of my progress towards serenity and wisdom.

One day at a time...
For today I will embrace my reality, the good and the bad. I will honestly admit my thoughts and feelings to myself, to another person and to God.
~ Susanne

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AA 'Big Book' - Quote

In this way we tried to shape a sane and sound ideal for our future sex life. We subjected each relation to this test - was it selfish or not? We asked God to mold our ideals and help us to live up to them. We remembered always that our sex powers were God-given and therefore good, neither to be used lightly or selfishly nor to be despised and loathed.
Whatever our ideal turns out to be, we must be willing to grow toward it. We must be willing to make amends where we have done harm, provided that we do not bring about still more harm in so doing. In other words, we treat sex as we would any other problem. In meditation, we ask God what we should do about each specific matter. The right answer will come, if we want it. - Pg. 69 - How It Works

Hour To Hour - Book - Quote

Even when our intentions are good, when we try to dominate the actions of others, we usually end up on a collision course with them. This hour, let us tend to our affairs and not the affairs of others.

Tolerance is my path to harmony with my fellows. May I be granted some tolerance this hour.

Fear of Change

Today, I am able to live with my fear that I will not like myself or those close to me if we change. Change is threatening, and healing and growing include change. It doesn't matter to my fearful self if the change is for the better or worse. In fact, change for the better can sometimes be even more threatening. I fear that I will not know how to act or have the tools to be with the 'better' without smearing my disease all over it. I remind myself today, again, that I do not have to grow perfectly. This is not an easy road, but the gains are so apparent that I will have faith that my tough times will come to an end.

- Tian Dayton PhD

Pocket Sponsor - Book - Quote

Some members believe that our program is too idealistic and doesn't really apply in the 'real' world. They don't get the 'in all our affairs' part. If it works in any place, then it works in every place.

If I work my program in only one place, then I'm not working my program.

"Walk Softly and Carry a Big Book" - Book

The miracle of recovery is that no matter where you are, you're here.

Time for Joy - Book - Quote

I am at peace today, knowing that God is doing for me what I cannot do for myself.

Alkiespeak - Book - Quote

I try to keep my words palatable - I never know when I may have to eat them. - Anon.

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AA Thought for the Day

October 13

Prayer
How can anybody expect God to acquiesce in the half-baked prayers that a lot of us send up to Him.
He would have the world in a worse chaos than it is now in five minutes.
Real prayer is not telling God what we want.
It is putting ourselves at His disposal so that He can tell us what He wants. . .
That's why it is so important for us to listen as well as talk when we pray.
- Alcoholics Anonymous Comes Of Age, p. 265

Thought to Ponder . . .
Learn to listen; listen to learn.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
P U S H = Pray Until Something Happens.

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

Acceptance
"And acceptance is the answer to all my problems today.
When I am disturbed,
it is because I find some person, place, thing, situation --
some fact of my life -- unacceptable to me,
and I can find no serenity until I accept
that person, place, thing, or situation
as being exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment.
Nothing, absolutely nothing happens in God's world by mistake.
Until I could accept my alcoholism, I could not stay sober;
unless I accept life completely on life's terms,
I cannot be happy.
I need to concentrate not so much
on what needs to be changed in the world
as on what needs to be changed in me and in my attitudes."
Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition p. 417
Copyright 1976 A.A.W.S. Inc.

Thought to Consider . . .
Acceptance is not submission;
it is acknowledgment of the facts of a situation,
then deciding what you're going to do about it.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
A B C = Acceptance, Belief, Change

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

All You Will Need
From: "A Vision for You"
Thus we grow. And so can you, though you be but one man with this book in your hand. We believe and hope it contains all you will need to begin.
We know what you are thinking. You are saying to yourself: "I'm jittery and alone. I couldn't do that." But you can. You forget that you have just now tapped a source of power much greater than yourself. To duplicate, with such backing, what we have accomplished is only a matter of willingness, patience and labor.
2001, AAWS, Inc., Alcoholics Anonymous, pages 162-163

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

"My daily life is conducted in a manner that is far different from my drinking days. The places I go, the things I do, and the people I am with are a reflection of my spiritual progress. My life is conducted with the knowledge that God is always at my side and guides me through the day. For that, at the end of each day, I say, 'Thank You.'"
Fairfield, Conn., September 1978
"Spiritual Progress,"
AA Grapevine

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

"...we have ceased fighting anything or anyone even alcohol."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 84~

"...it is clear that we made our own misery. God didn't do it. Avoid then, the deliberate manufacture of misery, but if trouble comes, cheerfully capitalize it as an opportunity to demonstrate His omnipotence."
Alcoholics Anonymous p.133

Patience and good temper are most necessary.
-Alcoholics Anonymous p.111

Could we then foresee that troublesome people were to become our principal teachers of patience and tolerance?
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 141

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

We began to see that the world and its people had really dominated us. Under that unhappy condition, the wrongdoing of others, fancied or real, had power to actually kill us, because we could be driven back to drink through resentment. We saw that these resentments must be mastered, but how? We could not wish them away.
This was our course: We realized that the people who wronged us were perhaps spiritually sick. So we asked God to help us show them the same tolerance, pity, and patience that we would cheerfully grant a sick friend.
Today, we avoid retaliation or argument. We cannot treat sick people that way. If we do, we destroy our chance of being helpful. 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.

Prayer for the Day: Lead Me and Guide Me -
Almighty God, I humbly pray,
Lead me, guide me through this day.
Cast out my selfishness and sin,
Open my heart to let You in.
Help me now as I blindly stray
Over the pitfalls along the way.
Let me have courage to face each task,
Invest me with loving patience, I ask.
Care for me through each hour today,
Strengthen and guard me now, I pray.

As I forgive, forgive me too,
Needing Your mercy as I do.
Oh, give to me Your loving care,
Never abandon me to despair.
Yesterday's wrongs I would seek to right,
Make me more perfect in Your sight.
Oh, teach me to live the best I can,
Use me to help my fellow man.
Save me from acts of bitter shame,
I humbly ask it in Your name.

Ask and you shall receive,
Seek and ye shall find,
Knock and it shall be opened unto you.
Matthew 7:7