July 26th

DAILY PONDERABLES

Together WE Trudge The Road OF Happy Destiny

Daily Reflections

THE "WORTH" OF SOBRIETY

Every A.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside

contributions.

TWELVE AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 160

When I go shopping I look at the prices and if I need what I see, I buy

it and pay. Now that I am supposed to be in rehabilitation, I have to

straighten out my life. When I go to a meeting, I take a coffee with

sugar and milk, sometimes more than one. But at the collection time, I

am either too bust to take money out of my purse, or I do not have

enough, but I am there because I need this meeting. I heard someone

suggest dropping the price of a beer into the basket, and I thought,

that's too much! I almost never give one dollar. Like many others, I

rely on the more generous members to finance the Fellowship. I forget

that it takes money to rent the meeting room, buy my milk, sugar and

cups. I will pay, without hesitation, ninety cents for a cup of coffee at a

restaurant after the meeting; I always have money for that. So, how

much is my sobriety and my inner peace worth?

From the book Daily Reflections

Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought for the Day

When we come to the end of our lives on earth, we will take no material thing with us. We will not take one cent in our cold, dead hands. The only things that we may take are the things we have given away. If we have helped others, we may take that with us; if we have given of our time and money for the good of A.A., we may take that with us. Looking back over our lives, what are we proud of? Not what we have gained for ourselves, but what few good deeds we have done. Those are the things that really matter in the long run. What will I take with me when I go?

Meditation for the Day

"Hallowed be Thy Name." What does that mean to us? Here "name" is used in the sense of "spirit." The words mean praise to God for His spirit in the world, making us better. We should be especially grateful for God's spirit, which gives us the strength to overcome all that is base in our lives. His spirit is powerful. It can help us to live a conquering, abundant life. So we praise and thank Him for His spirit in our lives and in the lives of others.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may be grateful for God's spirit in me. I pray that I may try to live in accordance with it.

From the book Twenty-Four Hours a Day

NA - Just for Today

Unconditional surrender

Page 216

"Help for addicts begins only when we are able to admit complete defeat. This can be frightening, but it is the foundation on which we have built our lives."

Basic Text, p. 22

Most of us have tried everything we can think of, exerted every ounce of force possible, to fill the spiritual hole inside us. Nothing-not drugs, not control and management, not sex, money, property, power, or prestige-has filled it. We are powerless; our lives are unmanageable, at least by ourselves alone. Our denial will not change that fact.

So we surrender; we ask a Higher Power to care for our will and our lives. Sometimes in surrendering, we don't know that a Power greater than ourselves exists which can restore us to wholeness. Sometimes we're not sure that the God of our understanding will care for our unmanageable lives. Our lack of certainty, though, does not affect the essential truth: We are powerless. Our lives are unmanageable. We must surrender. Only by doing so can we open ourselves wide-wide enough for our old ideas and past wreckage to be cleared, wide enough for a Higher Power to enter.

Just for Today: I will surrender unconditionally. I can make it as easy or as hard as I choose. Either way, I will do it.

From the book Just for Today

Thought for Today

Don't judge me by my past.

I don't live there anymore.

~ Petteri Tarkkonen

Recording of a radio presentation by novelist Alison L. Kennedy, on British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Radio 4

"AA: America's Gift to the World"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05pmrv0

You can hear Bill Wilson's voice talking about the early days of the program -- also a good many comments and explanations from Gail L. from Akron, Ohio (who does a marvelously good job of speaking to the British audience) -- also the voices of many British members of AA, Al-Anon, and Alateen, talking about how they found the 12-step program.

Buddha/Zen Thoughts

Having enjoyed a sweet delicious taste,

And having sometimes tasted what is bitter,

Do not greedily enjoy the sweet taste,

Do not feel aversion toward the bitter.

When touched by pleasant contact, do not be enthralled,

Do not tremble when touched by pain.

Look evenly on both the pleasant and painful,

Not drawn or repelled by anything.

-Buddha, "The Connected Discourses of the Buddha"

Native American

"These are our times and our responsibilities. Every human being has a sacred duty to protect the welfare of our Mother Earth, from whom all life comes. In order to do this, we must recognize the enemy - the one within us. We must begin with ourselves..."

--Leon Shenandoah, ONONDAGA

The outside is merely a reflection of our insides. My mind is designed to tell me that I'm not crazy for thinking what I am thinking. Even if I have angry thought, my mind is giving me excuses and reasons why it is OK to think what I'm thinking. I need to be knowledgeable about the laws of harmony and balance. I cannot twist the laws to serve me but I can adjust my life to serve the laws. This is the law - I am here to serve the earth. The earth is not here for me to misuse and abuse.

Oh Great Spirit, allow me the insight and knowledge of how to live in harmony and balance with my surroundings. Grant me change from within.

Keep It Simple

I was never less alone when by myself. --- Edward Gibson

To stay in this program, we need to accept that we have an illness. We need to accept that we were out of control. And we need to accept that we need others and they need us. At times, we won't want to accept these facts. We will want to deny we have an illness and our lives were out of control.

Many of us get into trouble when we don't accept that we need others. This is why helping others is so important. It teaches us that we need others, and others need us. By helping others, we learn about the give-and-take of human relationships. There is no give-an-take in addiction. There is just take. Now, finally, we can give too!

Prayer for the Day: I pray to remember that I need other people.

Action for the Day: Today, I'll help out. I will make coffee at the next meeting or offer to do the Step next week. I will let a fellow addict know I'm glad he or she is sober.

Big Book

Chapter 10 To Employers (pg 142 & top 143)

Next he can be assured that you do not intend to lecture, moralize, or condemn; that if this was done formerly, it was because of misunderstanding. If possible express a lack of hard feeling toward him. At this point, it might be well to explain alcoholism, the illness. Say that you believe he is a gravely - ill person, with this qualification-being perhaps fatally ill, does he want to get well? You ask, because many alcoholics, being warped and drugged, do not want to quit. But does he? Will he take every necessary step, submit to anything to get well, to stop drinking forever?

If he says yes, does he really mean it, or down inside does he think he is fooling you, and that after rest and treatment he will be able to get away with a few drinks now and then? We believe a man should be thoroughly probed on these points. Be satisfied he is not deceiving himself or you.

Whether you mention this book is a matter for your discretion. If he temporizes and still thinks he can ever drink again, even beer, he might as well be discharged after the next bender which, if an alcoholic, he is almost certain to have. He should understand that emphatically. Either you are dealing with a man who can and will get well or you are not. If not, why waste time with him? This may seem severe, but it is usually the best course.

After satisfying yourself that your man wants to recover and that he will go to any extreme to do so, you may suggest a definite course of action. For most alcoholics who are drinking, or who are just getting over a spree, a certain amount of physical treatment is desirable, even imperative. The matter of physical treatment should, of course, be referred to your own doctor. Whatever the method, its object is to thoroughly clear mind and body of the effects of alcohol. In competent hands, this seldom takes long nor is it very expensive. Your man will fare better if placed in such physical condition that he can think straight and no longer craves liquor. If you propose such a procedure to him, it may be necessary to advance the cost of the treatment, but we believe it should be made plain that any expense will later be deducted from his pay. It is better for him to feel fully responsible.