DAILY PONDERABLES Together WE Trudge The Road OF Happy Destiny

Daily Reflections GROUP AUTONOMY Some may think that we have carried the principle of group autonomy to extremes. For example, in its original "long form," Tradition Four declares: "Any two or three gathered together for sobriety may call themselves an A.A. group, provided that as a group they have no other affiliation."* . . . But this ultra-liberty is not so risky as it looks. AA COMES OF AGE, pp. 104-05 As an active alcoholic, I abused every liberty that life afforded. How could A.A. expect me to respect the "ultra-liberty" bestowed by Tradition Four? Learning respect has become a lifetime job. A.A. has made me fully accept the necessity of discipline and that, if I do not assert it from within, then I will pay for it. This applies to groups too. Tradition Four points me in a spiritual direction, in spite of my alcoholic inclinations. *This is a misquote; Bill quoted the Third Tradition, but was referring to Tradition Four. From the book Daily Reflections © Copyright 1990 by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.

Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought for the Day The A.A. program is one of faith, hope, and charity. It's a program of hope because when new members come into A.A., the first thing they get is hope. They hear older members tell how they had been through the same kind of hell that they have and how they found the way out through A.A. And this gives them hope that if others can do it, they can do it. is hope still strong in me? Meditation for the Day The rule of God's kingdom is perfect order, perfect harmony, perfect supply, perfect love, perfect honesty, perfect obedience. There is no discord in God's kingdom, only some things still unconquered in God's children. The difficulties of life are caused by disharmony in the individual man or woman. People lack power because they lack harmony with God and with each other. They think that God fails because power is not manifested in their lives. God does not fail. People fail because they are out of harmony with Him. Prayer for the Day I pray that I may be in harmony with God and with other people. I pray that this harmony will result in strength and success. From the book Twenty-Four Hours a Day © Copyright 1975 by Hazelden Foundation

NA - Just for Today "What if...." Page 123 "Living just for today relieves the burden of the past and the fear of the future. We learned to take whatever actions are necessary and to leave the results in the hands of our Higher Power." Basic Text, p. 94 In our active addiction, fear of the future and what might happen was a reality for many of us. What if we got arrested? lost our job? our spouse died? we went bankrupt? and on, and on, and on. It was not unusual for us to spend hours, even whole days thinking about what might happen. We played out entire conversations and scenarios before they ever occurred, then charted our course on the basis of "what if..." By doing this, we set ourselves up for disappointment after disappointment. From listening in meetings, we learn that living in the present, not the world of "what if," is the only way to short-circuit our self-fulfilling prophecies of doom and gloom. We can only deal with what is real today, not our fearful fantasies of the future. Coming to believe that our Higher Power has only the best in store for us is one way we can combat that fear. We hear in meetings that our Higher Power won't give us more than we can handle in one day. And we know from experience that, if we ask, the God we've come to understand will surely care for us. We stay clean through adverse situations by practicing our faith in the care of a Power greater than ourselves. Each time we do, we become less fearful of "what if" and more comfortable with what is. Just for Today: I will look forward to the future with faith in my Higher Power. From the book Just for Today © Copyright 1991-2013 by Narcotics Anonymous World Services, Inc.

Thought for Today "Some folks go through life pleased that the glass is half full. Others spend a lifetime lamenting that it's half-empty. The truth is: There is a glass with a certain volume of liquid in it. From there, it's up to you!" --Dr. James S. Vuocolo "Our job is to do the stitches, God provides the patterns"  Tim H. Louisville, KY I love you, and because I love you, I would sooner have you hate me for telling you the truth than adore me for telling you lies. ~Pietro Aretino  (thanks Gene H.) No Rainbows   I heard a member share today his life was in a mess He felt alone, away from friends, to this he did confess This virus thing had got him down, was starting to lose hope But AA friends encouraged him, were there to help him cope   We can not meet the way we did, together face to face We’re forced to use the internet, insure we keep our space For some of us we do adapt and go on as before But others need the strength they get inside the clubhouse door   Our fellow shared his discontent, afraid that he might slip He feared he was not quite prepared to weather out this trip Some weeks had passed, he’d sat alone without an end in sight He longed for his serenity, it was an uphill fight   He’d joined a morning meeting but it was not in a room He used his phone to reconnect and with an app called zoom He saw the friends he used to see each morning at the club But they, to him, seemed far away, and in there lied the rub   The other member on the call all seemed to have adjusted These on line meetings worked for them, while he just felt disgusted “There are no rainbows over me”, was how he shared his grief That prompted us to want to help, to give him some relief   He longed for the companionship the fellowship produced The gatherings before and aft, new members introduced The luncheons with a group of men and not just on a phone To hear then talk about their lives and know he’s not alone   In times like these it’s easy to begin to feel this way The routine you had counted on has quickly gone astray But AA never promised life would always be ideal We cannot change what’s happening, but can change the way we feel   Rainbows are a wonderment, a treasure to behold They feast our eyes and make us glad without that pot of gold When they arrive, the storm has passed, they welcome back the sun Until they do, we can not let our Program come undone   The way we start and end each day remains almost the same We say a prayer, we meditate, our anxiousness to tame We call a friend or two or three, it helps to stay in touch We stay connected to our group; it helps us to adjust   So, even when the rainbow fails to hang out is the sky We persevere, take comfort in the fact we don’t get high Enjoy the day and what we’ve gained from being in AA There may not be a rainbow but it’s still a lovely day.    Larry R.

Buddha/Zen Thoughts Like molding dough in your hand you can definitely turn your mind whichever way you want.

Native American "The old people came literally to love the soil and they sat or reclined on the ground with a feeling of being close to a mothering power...The soil was soothing, strengthening, cleansing and healing..." --Luther Standing Bear, OGLALA SIOUX Have you ever noticed the relationship between children and the soil? Watch how happily they are touching the dirt. The children play in it and eat it. If you are stressed, go to a spot on the Earth, sit down, put your fingers in the dirt, dig in it. Wash your hands in the soil. When you touch it, notice what it does to your hands. Our bodies love to touch the Earth. Sometimes we get too busy and forget these simple things. Maybe you'll even want to plant a garden or flowers. These things are mentally healthy. Great Spirit, today, let me touch the Earth so the Earth can touch me.

Keep It Simple I’m as pure as the driven slush.   --- Tallulad Bankhead The Steps are filled with words and phrases like shortcomings, exact nature of our wrongs, persons we had harmed, and when we were wrong. The Steps help us accept all parts of who we are.Our program asks us to share these parts of ourselves with others. We heal by doing this.It’s hard to talk about how wrong we can be, but we must. It’s part of how we recover. Remember, all of us have bad points. At times, we act like jerks. When we can talk about our mistakes, we end up having less shame inside of us. Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me to love and accept myself---as You love and accept me. Give me the courage to share all my secret wrongs. Action for the Day: Today, I’ll review my Fourth Step. If I haven’t done this Step, I’ll start today.

Big Book Chapter 4 We Agnostics (pg 49) Instead of regarding ourselves as intelligent agents, spearheads of God's ever advancing Creation, we agnostics and atheists chose to believe that our human intelligence was the last word, the alpha and the omega, the beginning and end of all. Rather vain of us, wasn't it? We, who have traveled this dubious path, beg you to lay aside prejudice, even against organized religion. We have learned that whatever the human frailties of various faiths may be, those faiths have given purpose and direction to millions. People of faith have a logical idea of what life is all about. Actually, we used to have no reasonable conception whatever. We used to amuse ourselves by cynically dissecting spiritual beliefs and practices when we might have observed that many spiritually-minded persons of all races, colors, and creeds were demonstrating a degree of stability, happiness and usefulness which we should have sought ourselves.