District 9

Sunday, July 12, 2015

AA Thought for the Day - July 13, 2015

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

July 13, 2015

Making Coffee
All I thought about as I was making the coffee was making the coffee and how people could enjoy it.
At my sponsor's suggestion, I stood near the coffeepot and welcomed everyone who came by.
I must have experienced a million smiles in a very short time. And when I pushed the broom,
all I concentrated on was the dust rising from it as I moved across the floor.
My troubles were gone for the time that I was doing these things. And so it can be for you.
If you can't live and you can't die, make coffee.
- The Home Group, p. 43

Thought to Ponder . . .
Into service out of self.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
A B C = Action, Brooms, Coffee.

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

For further information about AA-Alive, including:

Meeting Schedule
The Daily Thought Discussion Board
Service Opportunities
AA Birthday Signups
Helpful links and much more
Please go to our Website
http://aa-alive.net …
G.S.O. Registration Number: 712515

** Trademarks and Disclaimer: **
Alcoholics Anonymous, AA, and the Big Book are registered trademarks of Alcoholics Anonymous World Services. The AA Daily Thought is neither endorsed by, approved by, associated nor affiliated with, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., or The AA Grapevine, Inc.
Disclaimer: The Daily Thought is meant for domestic distribution only and for countries where it is in public domain.

Saturday, July 11, 2015

AA Thought for the Day - July 12, 2015

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

July 12, 2015

~ Scroll Down for Share ~

Balance
Our sponsors come to the rescue. They can do this, for they are the carriers of AA's experience with Step Four. . .
This, the sponsor promptly proves by talking freely and easily, and without exhibitionism,
about his own defects, past and present. . .
This tends to clear away morbidity and encourage balance.
- Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 46

Thought to Ponder . . .
A sponsor is someone who holds the light while you dig.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
B A T H = Balance, Action, Thinking, Habits.

A Member Shares:
I'm Ron, an alcoholic. If you are new, welcome! I hope you hear something today that will help keep you sober, and that you have picked up enough pieces of the Alcoholism puzzle to find a new life. One of the hardest things for me to learn was balance. I think my balance scale was broken. I’m an extreme person; I drank to extreme limits, and I drove my car beyond the extreme limits. Anger, resentments, and lust -- all these things were always “extreme." When I came into AA, I carried those extremes with me by going to several meetings each day and always having to put my two cents in. My sponsor taught me to put balance in my life so I wouldn't go to the extreme ends of things. When I sat down to do my Fourth Step, I wanted to write the “Great Drunk” novel. That’s not how we do a 4th Step, by the way. If we look at a scale, we see there are 3 points -- a center leg and 2 pans. For me, I needed physical, emotional, and spiritual balance. Here in AA, we also have three legs which we call our Three Legacies. We share our experience, strength and hope; Recovery, Unity and Service; Steps, Traditions and Concepts. With these three legs, I can achieve balance in my life. So, for those of you who are new, come in and listen to the music of Alcoholics Anonymous. And I hope you stay long enough to learn the words. Thanks.
To respond to the sharer, please email DTShare@aa-alive.org and it will be forwarded to them.
(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

For further information about AA-Alive, including:

Meeting Schedule
The Daily Thought Discussion Board
Service Opportunities
AA Birthday Signups
Helpful links and much more
Please go to our Website
http://aa-alive.net …
G.S.O. Registration Number: 712515

** Trademarks and Disclaimer: **
Alcoholics Anonymous, AA, and the Big Book are registered trademarks of Alcoholics Anonymous World Services. The AA Daily Thought is neither endorsed by, approved by, associated nor affiliated with, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., or The AA Grapevine, Inc.
Disclaimer: The Daily Thought is meant for domestic distribution only and for countries where it is in public domain.

Friday, July 10, 2015

AA Thought for the Day - July 11, 2015

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

July 11, 2015

Discovery
It is a positive fact that I shall never attain perfection, but in the attempt I have discovered a new zest for life,
a new and more interesting battle every day,
and the peace-giving knowledge that at least I am trying something I never experienced before.
I believe that man's value to himself is the sum total of his positive reaction to the little things in life.
- Thank You For Sharing, p. 56

Thought to Ponder . . .
Recovery is discovery.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
A R T = Always Remain Teachable.

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

For further information about AA-Alive, including:

Thursday, July 9, 2015

AA Thought for the Day - July 10, 2015

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

July 10, 2015

Just One Day
Any of us can handle just one day; all each one of us has to try at is our own job, our own family life.
We don't have to try fixing up the whole world or understanding what no theologian of any faith has ever understood.
We simply stop messing in God's business.
And in my opinion, when we stop messing and stop worrying, we have turned our will and our lives
over to God (or Good) as we understand (or don't understand) Him.
- Came To Believe . . ., p. 116

Thought to Ponder . . .
Don't fear tomorrow. God is already there.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
L E T G O = Leave Everything To God, Okay?

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

AA Thought for the Day - July 9, 2015

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

July 9, 2015

Alternatives
If you are as seriously alcoholic as we were, we believe there is no middle-of-the-road solution.
We were in a position where life was becoming impossible,
and if we had passed into the region from which there is no return through human aid, we had but two alternatives:
One was to go on to the bitter end, blotting out the consciousness of our intolerable situation as best we could;
and the other, to accept spiritual help.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 25

Thought to Ponder . . .
The solution is simple. The solution is spiritual.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
A B C = Acceptance, Belief, Change.

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

AA Thought for the Day - July 8, 2015

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

July 8, 2015

~ Scroll Down for Share ~

A Novel Idea
My friend suggested what then seemed a novel idea. He said,
"Why don't you choose your own conception of God?" That statement hit me hard. . .
It was only a matter of being willing to believe in a Power greater than myself.
Nothing more was required of me to make my beginning. Would I have it? Of course I would!
Thus I was convinced that God is concerned with us humans when we want Him enough.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 12

Thought to Ponder . . .
A new world came into view.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
G O D = Good Orderly Direction.

A Member Shares:
I'm Charlie J., and I have Alcoholism. I only knew one thing about a God when I came back to AA; God turned His/Her back on me when I was a child. I mean, think about it -- I never got one thing I ever prayed for. I never got that new bike! Well, I think you can see where the real problem was; it was me. Not that I was bad, but I had never really grasped what God could or would do, or what my job was in the grand scheme of things. So I gave up on God. Then, when I found I never wanted to drink again, my dear friend Joe B. told me exactly what I needed to know when I came back to AA. He simply asked me, "What do you know about God?" I said, "Nothing." He then told me, "What you do need to know is, you're not it!" I can assure you that I still seek a better understanding of God, life, my job, and what God's job is. Most of my sober troubles were learning to try not to do God's job. But I had to learn what that was first. If you’re new, or coming back to AA and are having trouble with a God or Higher Power, not to worry. If you can find an open mind and a little trust in the Twelve Steps, you will find what you need. Thank you.
To respond to the sharer, please email DTShare@aa-alive.org and it will be forwarded to them.
(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

For further information about AA-Alive, including:

AA Thought for the Day - July 7, 2015

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

July 7, 2015

Pride
We alcoholics return to drink more often because of petty difficulties
than because of life's serious setbacks and tragedies.
The big problems seem to bring out our virtues, petty ones our faults.
For God to remove our shortcomings, we need to identify the defect for what it is. . .
And certainly the most difficult fault to see in ourselves is pride, aptly termed the first deadly sin.
- The Best of the Grapevine [Vol. 3], p. 208

Thought to Ponder . . .
A "shortcoming" is like a flat tire. A "character defect" is like driving on it.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
P R I D E = Personal Recovery Involves Deflating Ego.