AA Thought for the Day - July 5, 2015

AA Thought for the Day
(courtesy AA-Alive.net)

July 5, 2015

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A Foundation
Taking this book down from our shelf we turn to the page which contains the twelve steps.
Carefully reading the first five proposals we ask is we have omitted anything,
for we are building an arch through which we shall walk a free man at last.
Is our work solid so far?  Are the stones properly in place?
Have we skimped on the cement put into the foundation?  Have we tried to make mortar without sand?
- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 75

Thought to Ponder . . .
Walk softly and carry a Big Book.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
A A = Always Awesome.

A Member Shares:
Heya friends, I am an alcoholic, and my problem is Chantale.  My first sponsor made a few things clear, and since I'm a very visual person, she used this example when talking about the program of AA.  She told me that a house needs to have a foundation, and such a solid foundation could never be built without first putting the bottle down.  It made sense to me then, and still does.  The foundation is what we build our entire journey on.  It needs to be strong.  If it's weak and frail, everything we build upon it will eventually fall.  I proved this a few times.  I came in and out of the program for many years, never fully understanding that I was the one who chose to go back out, and not the program that failed me.  I did not build and nurture the foundation, never fully accepted the First Step, and never truly believed I was an alcoholic, let alone the fact that one drink could tumble my house down.  But I learned a lot and got back up and re-built a nice, not always level and smooth, foundation.  The next step was to put up the walls, and my first few steps were shaky.  But as time passed, as I learned to use the tools and not just read about them, I started reinforcing the walls.  The awesome part about this process is that at any given time I'm able to remodel, reinforce and make each part of my program stronger, smoother, and more livable.  It takes time, patience, honestly, open-mindedness, and most of all, the willingness to ask for help not only from my Higher Power, but also from the people in the program.  See, the thing is that if you're going to build a house (aka a program), you need people who have different specialties to complete it, like a plumber, electrician, etc.  It's the same for a program: we need help outside ourselves to make our homes livable and this journey possible.  Thanks so much for letting me share.
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(All shares are reproduced with the kind permission of the person sharing)

Thanks to all of you for sharing so generously of your experience, strength and hope in carrying the AA message.
Blessings in sobriety to all,
In love and service,
joanna b
dailythought@aa-alive.org

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