Daily Reflections

Mon 1 Sept, 18:37 (15 hours ago) to Good Morning!!! God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change; Courage to change the things I can; and Wisdom to know the difference. Thy will, not mine, be done. *~*~*~*~*^Daily Reflections^*~ *~*~*~* September 2, 2025 FINDING "A REASON TO BELIEVE" The willingness to grow is the essence of all spiritual development. As Bill Sees It, p.171 A line from a song goes, ". . . and I look to find a reason to believe . . ." It reminds me that at one time I was not able to find a reason to believe that my life was all right. Even though my life had been saved by coming to A.A., three months later I went out and drank again. Someone told me: "You don't have to believe. Aren't you willing to believe that there is a reason for your life, even though you may not know yourself what that reason is, or that you may not sometimes know the right way to behave?" When I saw how willing I was to believe there was a reason for my life, then I could start to work on the Steps. Now when I begin with, "I am willing . . . ," I am using the key that leads to action, honesty, and openness to a Higher Power moving through my life. *********************************************** Comradeship in Peril We A.A.'s are like the passengers of a great liner the moment after rescue from shipwreck, when camaraderie, joyousness, and democracy pervade the vessel from steerage to captain's table. Unlike the feelings of the ship's passengers, however, our joy in escape from disaster does not subside as we go our individual ways. The feeling of sharing in a common peril - relapse into alcoholism - continues to be an important element in the powerful cement which binds us of A.A. together. Our first woman alcoholic had been a patient of Dr. Harry Tiebout's, and he had handed her a pre-publication manuscript copy of the Big Book. The first reading made her rebellious, but the second convinced her. Presently she came to a meeting held in our living room, and from there she returned to the sanitarium carrying this classic message to a fellow patient: "We aren't alone anymore." 1. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 17 – 2. A.A. COMES OF AGE, p. 18 *********************************************** Faith is the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still dark. —Sir Rabindranath Tagore In the darkness of early morning, the bird outside the window begins to sing. Soon the eastern sky turns pink. The bird continues singing until the first yellow rays warm its soft wings. Then it flies away, not returning to the window until the next morning. We can learn from the small bird how to have faith. We don't need to wait for something we want before having faith, we'll get it. We can begin to show our faith by celebrating the things, we usually take for granted. After all, when we take something for granted, isn't that a selfish form of faith? We can start by singing a song to celebrate the new day. A day that will warm our hearts and shed light on our actions. Like the bird's faith in the sunrise, we need only to have faith that God meant each day to enrich our lives. What faith can I celebrate right now? ******* Just a thought.......... They say that God works through others; that if you would be close to God, you should get close to his workers. Never seen God? Some believe he's at every meeting, with skin on. So………… Do I treat others like God's children? Do I treat myself like a child of God? What can I do today to make someone feel like a child of God? ********************************************** If you wish to make an apple pie truly from scratch, you must first invent the universe. —Carl Sagan Everything is given to us. Our lives came forth with no plan on our part. We have no lease on life and no control, ultimately, over any possession. In the addictive and codependent families most of us came from, we learned something else. We learned a lonely arrogance that said, "I should be self-sufficient. I have earned everything that ever came to me." Deep down we probably knew how untrue that was, and we felt great self-doubt. The cure we learn in this program for our lonely arrogance is a miracle and a blessing. We accept that we are part of a larger whole. Now it dawns on us – all of our friends and relatives share this basic powerlessness. We are all pilgrims. We are all guests. We are all stewards of creation. We can be close, and we must help one another because everyone is equally vulnerable. I am grateful to my Higher Power today for the life, which has been given me. I pray for greater understanding of my responsibilities.