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Click Here Please do not forward this email to others. When you do, we get complaints when they cannot unsubscribe. Instead, please send the join link; Join Transitions Email A.A. Thoughts for the Day Steps & Traditions A.A.’s Twelve Steps are a group of principles, spiritual in their nature, which, if practiced as a way of life, can expel the obsession to drink and enable the sufferer to become happily and usefully whole. A.A.’s Twelve Traditions apply to the life of the Fellowship itself. They outline the means by which A.A. maintains its unity and relates itself to the world about it, the way it lives and grows. Thought to Consider… The Steps protect me from myself; the Traditions protect A.A. from me. AACRONYMS A L C O H O L I C S Just for Today Publications “The year 1944 brought avital development. In New York City a few literary and news minded A.A.’s began to issue a monthly publication. They called their magazine the Grapevine. It was by no means the first local A.A. bulletin or magazine. The Cleveland Central Bulletin, the Los Angeles Eye-Opener, and several others had preceded it. But the Grapevine caught on nationally. After the first few months it encountered a strange kind of difficulty. It turned out that the FBI for along time had published a [news] sheet called the Grapevine devoted to keeping FBI men up to date. Things were finally ironed out when we began to call our monthly magazine the A.A. Grapevine. With this minor difficulty overcome, our Grapevine grew and grew.” Daily Reflections I’M PART OF THE WHOLE At once, I became a part – if only a tiny part – of a cosmos… When I first came to A.A., I decided that “they” were very nice people – perhaps a little naïve, a little too friendly, but basically decent, earnest people (with whom I had nothing in common). I saw “them” at meetings – after all, that was where “they” existed. I shook hands with “them” and, when I went out the door, I forgot about “them.” Then one day my Higher Power, whom I did not then believe in, arranged to create a community project outside of A.A., but one which happened to involve many A.A. members. We worked together, I got to know “them” as people. I came to admire “them,” even to like “them” and, in spite of myself, to enjoy “them.” “Their” practice of the program in their daily lives – not just in talk at meetings – attracted me and I wanted what they had. Suddenly the “they” became “we.” I have not had a drink since. As Bill Sees It To Guard Against a Slip “Suppose we fall short of our chosen ideals and stumble? Does this mean we are going to get drunk? Some people tell us so. But this is only a half-truth. It depends on us and on our motives. If we are sorry for what we have done, and have the honest desire to let God take us to better things, we believe we will be forgiven and will have learned our lesson. If we are not sorry, and our conduct continues to harm others, we are quite sure to drink. These are facts out of our experience.” Big Book Quote “The basic principles of the A.A. program, it appears, hold good for individuals with many different lifestyles, just as the program has brought recovery to those of many different nationalities. The Twelve Steps that summarize the program may be called los Doce Pasos in one country, les Douze Etapes in another, but they trace exactly the same path to recovery that was blazed by the earliest members of Alcoholics Anonymous.” Twenty Four Hours a Day A.A. Thought for the Day I go to the A.A. meetings because it helps me in my business of keeping sober. And I try to help other alcoholics when I can, because that’s part of my business of keeping sober. I also have a partner in this business and that’s God. I pray to Him every day to help me to keep sober. As long as I keep in mind that liquor can never be my friend again, but is now my deadly enemy, and as long as I remember that my main business is keeping sober and that it’s the most important thing in my life. I believe, I’ll be prepared for that crucial moment when the idea of having a drink pops into my mind. When that idea comes, will I be able to resist it and not take that drink? Meditation for the Day I will be more afraid of spirit-unrest, of soul-disturbance, of any ruffling of the mind, than of earthquake or fire. When I feel the calm of my spirit has been broken by emotional upset, then I must steal away alone with God, until my heart sings and all is strong and calm again. Uncalm times are the only times when evil can find an entrance. I will beware of unguarded spots of unrest. I will try to keep calm, no matter what turmoil surrounds me. Prayer for the Day I pray that no emotional upsets will hinder God’s power in my life. I pray that I may keep a calm spirit and a steady heart. If you were forwarded this email, click here to join. You have 2 Other Ways to Participate in Transitions Daily: 1. Join the Transitions Daily Private Facebook Group: Search for Transitions Daily in Facebook and request to join or click 2. Subscribe to the Transitions Daily Podcast: We cannot sign you up for a podcast. Depending on your phone, you will need to pick a podcast provider. There are many free options. You will have to investigate yourself or ask a friend that listens to podcasts to explain the process. For iPhone: For Android: We also list many recovery resources, including recovery podcasts, at www.DailyAAEmails.com.  |