A spiritual kindergarten June 24 We are only operating a spiritual kindergarten in which people are enabled to get over drinking and find the grace to go on living to better effect. As Bill sees it, p. 95 When I came to A.A., I was run down by the bottle and wanted to lose the […]

A two-way street June 25 If we ask, God will certainly forgive our derelictions. But in no case does He render us white as snow and keep us that way without our cooperation. Twelve steps and twelve traditions, p. 65 When I prayed, I used to omit a lot of things for which I needed […]

A gift that grows with time June 26 For most normal folks, drinking means conviviality, companionship and colorful imagination. It means release from care, boredom and worry. It is joyous intimacy with friends and a feeling that life is good. Alcoholics anonymous, p. 151 The longer I chased these elusive feelings with alcohol, the more […]

Conforming to the A.A. way June 27 We obey A.A.'s Steps and Traditions because we really want them for ourselves. It is no longer a question of good or evil; we conform because we genuinely want to conform. Such is our process of growth in unity and function. Such is the evidence of God's grace […]

A rippling effect June 29 Having learned to live so happily, we'd show everyone else how. . . . Yes, we of A.A. did dream those dreams. How natural that was, since most alcoholics are bankrupt idealists. . . . So why shouldn't we share our way of life with everyone? Twelve steps and twelve […]

Sacrifice = Unity = Survival June 30 The unity, the effectiveness, and even the survival of A.A. will always depend upon our continued willingness to give up some of our personal ambitions and desires for the common safety and welfare. Just as sacrifice means survival for the individual alcoholic, so does sacrifice mean unity and […]

The best for today July 01 The principles we have set down are guides to progress. Alcoholics anonymous, p. 60 Just as a sculptor will use different tools to achieve desired effects in creating a work of art, in Alcoholics Anonymous the Twelve Steps are used to bring about results in my own life. I […]

The heart of true sobriety July 02 We find that no one need have difficulty with the spirituality of the program. Willingness, honesty and open-mindedness are the essentials of recovery. But these are indispensable. Alcoholics anonymous, p. 568 Am I honest enough to accept myself as I am and let this be the "me" that I […]

EXPERIENCE: THE BEST TEACHER July 03 Being still inexperienced and having just made conscious contact with God, it is not probable that we are going to be inspired at all times. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 87 Some say that experience is the best teacher, but I believe that experience is the only teacher. I have been […]

A natural faith July 04 . . . deep down in every man, woman and child, is the fundamental idea of God. It may be obscured by calamity, by pomp, by worship of other things, but in some form or other it is there. For faith in a Power greater than ourselves, and miraculous demonstrations […]

A new direction July 05 Our human resources, as marshalled by the will, were not sufficient; they failed utterly. . . . Every day is a day when we must carry the vision of God's will into all our activities. Alcoholics anonymous, pp. 45, 85 I hear talk of the "weak-willed" alcoholic, but I am […]

Identifying fear . . . July 06 The chief activator of our defects has been self-centered fear. . . . Twelve steps and twelve traditions, p. 76 When I feel uncomfortable, irritated, or depressed, I look for fear. This "evil and corroding thread" is the root of my distress: Fear of failure; fear of others' […]

. . . And letting go of it July 07 . . . primarily fear that we would lose something we already possessed or would fail to get something we demanded. Living upon a basis of unsatisfied demands, we were in a state of continual disturbance and frustration. Therefore, no peace was to be had […]

. . . And letting go of it July 07 . . . primarily fear that we would lose something we already possessed or would fail to get something we demanded. Living upon a basis of unsatisfied demands, we were in a state of continual disturbance and frustration. Therefore, no peace was to be had […]

I am an instrument July 09 Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings. Twelve steps and twelve traditions, p. 70 The subject of humility is a difficult one. Humility is not thinking less of myself than I ought to; it is acknowledging that I do certain things well, it is accepting a compliment graciously. God […]

Toward peace and serinity July 10 . . . when we have taken a square look at some of these defects, have discussed them with another, and have become willing to have them removed, our thinking about humility commences to have a wider meaning. Twelve steps and twelve traditions, p. 74 When situations arise which […]

A turning point July 11 A great turning point in our lives came when we sought for humility as something we really wanted, rather than as something we must have. Twelve steps and twelve traditions, p. 75 Either the A.A. way of life becomes one of joy or I return to the darkness and despair […]

Giving up the center stage July 12 For without some degree of humility, no alcoholic can stay sober at all. . . . Without it, they cannot live to much useful purpose, or, in adversity, be able to summon the faith that can meet any emergency. Twelve steps and twelve traditions, p. 70 Why do […]

HUMILITY IS A GIFT July 13 As long as we placed self-reliance first, a genuine reliance upon a Higher Power was out of the question. That basic ingredient of all humility, a desire to seek and do God's will, was missing. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 72 When I first came to A.A., I […]

A nourishing ingradient July 14 Where humility had formerly stood for a forced feeding on humble pie, it now begins to mean the nourishing ingredient which can give us serenity. Twelve steps and twelve traditions, p. 74 How often do I focus on my problems and frustrations? When I am having a "good day" these same problems shrink in […]

Pride July 15 For thousands of years we have been demanding more than our share of security, prestige, and romance. When we seemed to be succeeding, we drank to dream still greater dreams. When we were frustrated, even in part, we drank for oblivion. Never was there enough of what we thought we wanted. In […]

"A measure of humility" July 16 In every case, pain had been the price of admission into a new life. But this admission price had purchased more than we expected. It brought a measure of humility, which we soon discovered to be a healer of pain. Twelve steps and twelve traditions, p. 75 It was […]

Surrender and self-examination July 17 My stability came out of trying to give, not out of demanding that I receive. Thus I think it can work out with emotional sobriety. If we examine every disturbance we have, great or small, we will find at the root of it some unhealthy dependency and its consequent unhealthy […]

Grateful for what I have July 18 During this process of learning more about humility, the most profound result of all was the change in our attitude toward God. Twelve steps and twelve traditions, p. 75 Today my prayers consist mostly of saying thank you to my Higher Power for my sobriety and for the […]