One Day at a Time - Do You Know Bill W?

[DarkSkies]

A.A. Thought For The Day

The way of faith is of course not confined to A.A. It is
the way for everybody who wants to really live. But many
people can go through life without much of it. Many are
doing so, to their own sorrow. The world is full of lack
of faith. Many people have lost confidence in any meaning
in the universe. Many are wondering if it has any meaning
at all. Many are at loose ends. Life has no goal for many.
They are strangers in the land. They are not at home. But
for us in A.A. the way of faith is the way of life. We
have proved by our past lives that we could not live
without it. Do I think I could live happily without faith?

"Life will take on a new meaning," as the Big Book says
(p. 89) This promise has helped me to avoid self-seeking
and self-pity. To watch others grow in this wonderful
program, to see them improve the quality of their lives,
is a priceless reward for my effort to help others.
Self-examination is yet another reward for an ongoing
recovery, as are serenity, peace and contentment. The
energy derived from seeing others on a successful path,
of sharing with them the joys of the journey, gives to
my life a new meaning.





Faith, and helping others. I know how to help others, and do it when I canm or if they ask. Faith is the issue I still struggle with. Like many recovering people, I look at the state of the world, and seen the cruelty and meanness from people who aren't happy with their own lives and need to victimize others.

The NJ case of Sara Parks comes to mind. She never harmed anyone, and was killed in an brutal way by someone whe trusted. So you ask yourself, where was God when this was happening? I guess God can't be everywhere, but these are the kinds of things that go through my head when I think of having faith.

I think the best way for me to understand this is that there will always be evil in the world. We just have to do the best we can in our corner if it, and try to make it a better place, leading by example. There are a lot of people who I think have made better examples of how to live their lives than I have, I am still trying.

[jimmy z]

If I dwell on the negative aspects of the world, the positive is not in focus.
I want what I have, today. The world is what it is. I believe I can make a difference, if I am doing good.

[DarkSkies]

Jimmy, when I first met you, in my mind that phrase "it is what it is" became one of your trademarks. Others may use it, but I always think of you when I hear it. I heard that you had many ups and downs in life, yet you always try to maintain an even keel. I kinda admire you for that. My keel is not always so even... "it is what it is"

[DarkSkies]

December 18, 2008

Not-worrying

None of us has to understand God or worry about things beyond our control.
We can indulge ourselves in the luxury of not-worrying. . .
We simply stop messing in God's business.
And in my opinion, when we stop messing and stop worrying,
we have turned out will and our lives over to God (or Good)
as we understand (or don't understand) Him.

Thought to Ponder....

Reliance on God enables me to match calamity with serenity.









That's one of the good things I like about the AA/NA readings.

They talk about not worrying. (Yeah that's great, I'm a type A personality, I overanalyze everything, I feel comfortable in a worried atmosphere)

They talk about turning our will and our lives over to God.
(well what if I don't want to do that completely? what if Im still struggling with turning it over to God?)

as we understand (or don't understand) Him
This is the saving grace here, the one thing that helped a wretch like me reach for salvation. Even though I was cynical, mistrusting, and generally not believing anything unless I saw it proved to me, here was something I could wrap my head around. It was the reallization the Higher power could be anything I wanted it to be - God, church, or people and healthy relationships that would help keep me sober.

And you can turn your will over to Good, at first, if you're not comfortable with religion. Eventually, God will find a way in there, but only if you want him to.

[jimmy z]

I struggled with turning my will over to God, in early recovery. When I tried, I didn't know what to do next.
What I realized over time, and learning, was that as I got rid of my stinkin' thinkin', I had to fill in that void with positive thinking.

The Big Book was the first choice, than a daily devotional, and now the Bible.
God's will and intent for me, today. Do what is good and pure and true, is God's will for me, and not my will for myself.

[mick2360]

I have always felt that the Big Book was inspired by God's grace. It spoke to me clearly and at a time when the Bible was probably beyond me. I got a hold of Norman Vincent Peales Power of Positive Thinking, a kind of beginners guide to the Bible that worked well for me. Eventually, I was able to read the Bible and let it guide me.

I believe God gave me a new start. I wake up some mornings and hold my coffee with a firm strong hand, no shakes or tremors. I say to my wife, "Look at that, Baby!" She thinks I am nuts. She didn't know me when I was drinking. But I know. And I thank God and my fellow drunks for where I am today.

[DarkSkies]

December 19, 2008

The Choice is Mine

I once encountered many blind alleys,
but today, as long as I have faith, my path is clear.
This has all been slow progress for me.
Like so many, I do not always surrender completely;
I allow the cares and worries of the day distort my thinking.
But as soon as I get back on the right track, I realize that I have everything I need.
Whatever problems confront me, large or small, they can be solved wisely.
Or they can be solved my way. The choice is mine.


I like the above reading because is shows how AA/NA does not push you into something, it simply presents a better way of thinking. Like they say,
"Or they can be solved my way"

Solving problems with the old alcoholic way of thinking will get you the same results you always got. Don't believe it? Try it! And keep banging your head against the wall. My way didn't work. To anyone out there who is struggling with an alcohol problem, I would ask them: How many times did you try to quit? Do it your way? did your way work?

The way that they talk abpout involved surrender, which was difficult for some, has been difficult for me, and sometimes continues to be difficult as I accumulate each year of sobriety. I surrendered my ideas about alcohol and drugs, I believe that saved my life. But surrender is greater than that. Surrender is a frame of mind, not a conscious agreement to just remove one or two things from your life.


A friend and I were having a conversation the other day about someone who started snorting coke at an early age, and stopped doing that and just smokes pot. Is that guy an alcoholic or addict? Only he knows the answer, but I think a lot of the thinking and rationalization around those decisions to keep smoking pot revolves around the concept of surrender.

Anyway, I can't make an assessment of that guy because I am still strong willed myself, but that makes me part of who I am.

Understanding and living the idea of surrender, to me, is a balancing act. We must surrender our behavior and old attitudes, but we don't have to surrender our identities. Following the program and the steps allows us to make the choices that are best for us.

[DarkSkies]

I have always felt that the Big Book was inspired by God's grace. It spoke to me clearly and at a time when the Bible was probably beyond me. I got a hold of Norman Vincent Peales Power of Positive Thinking, a kind of beginners guide to the Bible that worked well for me. Eventually, I was able to read the Bible and let it guide me.

I believe God gave me a new start. I wake up some mornings and hold my coffee with a firm strong hand, no shakes or tremors. I say to my wife, "Look at that, Baby!" She thinks I am nuts. She didn't know me when I was drinking. But I know. And I thank God and my fellow drunks for where I am today.

Mick, Power of Positive thinking, great book. I still resist reading the Bible, though.

As far as the highlighted part, many didn't know me when I was drinking, and they say - well how bad could it have been, you're cured now, you can have one beer, it won't kill you.

But I know... one beer won't hurt. I know I can have one. I know I can have 10 or 20, and my head won't explode. I know I can smoke a joint, or 10, and that won't kill me either. But I choose not to.

What happens when I want to check out the latest pot strain that someone grew in their basement, or the latest chemical made in someone's bathtub, when that one beer just isn's enough for me anymore? That's where my problem comes in. If one of anything is something you can stick with, you are probably not an alcoholic or addict.

I'm not a one of anything kind of guy. I went fishing on a moment's notice last night without bringing food for later. So I bought a box of donuts and some bagels at the quik chek. Ate half the box of donuts for breakfast, couldn't have just one.