AA Thought For Today - November

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AA Thought for the Day

November 1

Serenity Prayer
In 1941, a news clipping was called to our attention by a New York member.
In an obituary notice from a local paper, there appeared these words:
"God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can,
and the wisdom to know the difference." Never had we seen so much AA in so few words.
With amazing speed the Serenity Prayer came into general use.
- As Bill Sees It, p. 108

Thought to Ponder . . .
Life is fragile, handle with prayer.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
H O P E = Hang On; Pray Every day.

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

Companionship
"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' friends.
This and the program of recovery
embodied in the Twelve Steps . . .
Whole new vistas were opened up for me,
new avenues of experience to be explored,
and life began to take on color and interest."
c. 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 311

Thought to Consider . . .
This is a great day to be sober, patient, tolerant,
kindly and loving.

*~*~*AACRONYMS*~*~*
C A R E = Comforting And Reassuring Each other

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

Accountable
>From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous":
"By 1940 we had begun to see that the A.A. book should belong to our society itself. Its shares should not be forever scattered among forty-nine subscribers, Ruth Hock, Henry, and me [Bill W.]. If the Foundation could acquire these outstanding shares, the book could be placed in trust for A.A. as a whole. They could no longer kick about the book's income being used to run the A.A. office.
"Trustee A. LeRoy Chipman conceived the idea of borrowing enough money from Mr. [John D., Jr.] Rockefeller, two of his sons [including then-future US Vice President Nelson], and the dinner guests to clear away certain debts and to buy all Works Publishing's shares (except Henry's and mine) from the cash subscribers at par. Every one of the cash subscribers gladly consented to this; they were happy to get out even. Mr. Chipman thereupon raised a total of $8,000 dollars, to be repaid to Mr. Rockefeller and the others out of book profits at a later date."
2001 AAWS, Inc.; Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pg. 189

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

"No prophet can presume to say whether the world outcome will be blazing destruction or the beginning, under God's intention, of the brightest era yet known to mankind. I am sure we AAs well comprehend this scene. In microcosm, we have experienced this identical state of terrifying uncertainty, each in his own life."
AA Co-Founder, Bill W., January 1962
"This Matter of Fear"
The Language of the Heart

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

"If, when you honestly want to, you find you cannot quit entirely,
or if when drinking, you have little control over the amount you take,
you are probably alcoholic. If that be the case, you may be
suffering from an illness which only a spiritual experience will
conquer."
~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, We Agnostics, pg. 44~

The very practical approach to his problems, the absence of
intolerance of any kind, the informality, the genuine democracy, the
uncanny understanding which these people had were irresistible.
Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, A Vision For You, Page 160

It may be that both will decide that the way of good sense and loving kindness is to let by-gones be by-gones.
-Alcoholics Anonymous p.82

With those we dislike we can begin to practice justice and courtesy, perhaps going out of our way to understand and help them.
-Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p.93

Misc. AA Literature - Quote

The principle that we shall find no enduring strength until we first admit complete defeat is the main taproot from which our whole Society has sprung and flowered.
Every newcomer is told, and soon realizes for himself, that his humble admission of powerlessness over alcohol is his first step toward liberation from its paralyzing grip.
So it is that we first see humility as a necessity. But this is the barest beginning. To get completely away from our aversion to the idea of being humble, to gain a vision of humility as the avenue to true freedom of the human spirit, to be willing to work for humility as something to be desired for itself, takes most of us a long, long time. A whole lifetime geared to self-centeredness cannot be set in reverse all at once.

Prayer for the Day: Please Lord - Please Lord, teach us to laugh again; but God, Don't ever let us forget that we cried.