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Sunlight “It is plain that a life which includes deep resentment leads only to futility and unhappiness. To the precise extent that we permit these, do we squander the hours that might have been worth while. This business of resentment is infinitely grave. We found that it is fatal. For when harboring such feelings we shut ourselves off from the sunlight of the Spirit. The insanity of alcohol returns and we drink again. And with us, to drink is to die.” Thought to Consider… AACRONYMS C A L M Just for Today Book But at one of these [Trustee] meetings in the early fall of 1938, Frank Amos popped up with an idea which opened the door upon our real future. Frank said, “One of my friends, Eugene Exman, is Religious Editor of Harper. Perhaps he would be interested in your [Bill W.’s] new book. Why don’t you go down there and show him the few chapters you have done? I’ll fix it up for you.” So down I went to meet Gene Exman, another wonderful friend-to-be of our society. I related the tale of our struggles and handed over to him my first attempt at authorship. While I waited Gene thoughtfully scanned the two chapters. Then he asked, “Could you do a whole book in this style? And how many months would it take you?” I was shaking, but I had an answer ready: “I believe I can do it. It will probably take nine or ten months.” Thereupon he made a proposal that was surprising. “If it would help things along,” he said, “I think Harper might be willing to advance you $1,500 in royalties. This amount would be deducted from your account when the book is finished in 1939.” Again in the clouds, I left Harper to break the great news to the gang. Daily Reflections FREE AT LAST Another great dividend we may expect from confiding our defects to another human being is humility – a word often misunderstood . . . it amounts to a clear recognition of what and who we really are, followed by a sincere attempt to become what we could be. I knew deep inside that if I were ever to be joyous, happy and free, I had to share my past life with some other individual. The joy and relief I experienced after doing so were beyond description. Almost immediately after taking the Fifth Step, I felt free from the bondage of self and the bondage of alcohol. That freedom remains after 36 years, a day at a time. I found that God could do for me what I couldn’t do for myself. As Bill Sees It Our Problem Centers in the Mind We know as long as the alcoholic keeps away from drink, he usually reacts much like other men. We are equally positive that once he takes any alcohol whatever into his system, something happens, in both the bodily and the mental sense, which makes it virtually impossible for him to stop. The experience of any alcoholic will abundantly confirm this. These observations would be academic and pointless if our friend never took the first drink, thereby setting the terrible cycle in motion. Therefore, the main problem of the alcoholic centers in his mind, rather than in his body. Big Book Quote “Many of us felt that we had plenty of character. There was a tremendous urge to cease forever. Yet we found it impossible. This is the baffling feature of alcoholism as we know it – this utter inability to leave it alone, no matter how great the necessity or the wish.” Twenty Four Hours a Day A.A. Thought for the Day One thing that keeps me sober is a feeling of loyalty to the other members of the group. I know I’d be letting them down if I ever took a drink. When I was drinking, I wasn’t loyal to anybody. I should have been loyal to my family, but I wasn’t. I let them down by my drinking. When I came into A.A., I found a group of people who were not only helping each other to stay sober, but who were loyal to each other by staying sober themselves. Am I loyal to my group? Meditation for the Day Calmness is constructive of good. Agitation is destructive of good. I should not rush into action. I should first “be still and know that He is God.” Then I should act only as God directs me through my conscience. Only trust, perfect trust in God, can keep me calm when all around me are agitated. Calmness is trust in action. I should seek all things that can help me to cultivate calmness. To attain material things, the world learns to attain speed. To attain spiritual things, I have to learn to attain a state of calm. Prayer for the Day I pray that I may learn how to have inner peace. I pray that I may be calm, so that God can work through me. 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.  |