Daily Reflection

DECEMBER 2
SERENITY
Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, . .
.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 106
As I continued to go to meetings and work the Steps, something
began to happen to me. I felt confused because I wasn't sure
what it was that I was feeling, and then I realized I was
experiencing serenity. It was a good feeling, but where had it
come from? Then I realized it had come " . . . as the result of
these steps." The program may not always be easy to practice,
but I had to acknowledge that my serenity had come to me after
working the Steps. As I work the Steps in everything I do, practicing
these principles in all my affairs, now I find that I am
awake to God, to others, and to myself. The spiritual awakening
I have enjoyed as the result of working the Steps is the
awareness that I am no longer alone.

Daily Reflection

DECEMBER 1
"SUGGESTED" STEPS
Our Twelfth Step also says that as a result of practicing all
the Steps, we have each found something called a spiritual
awakening. . . . A. A.'s manner of making ready to receive
this gift lies in the practice of the Twelve Steps in our
program."
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, pp. 106-07
I remember my sponsor's answer when I told him that the
Steps were "suggested." He replied that they are
"suggested" in the same way that, if you were to jump out
of an airplane with a parachute, it is "suggested" that you
pull the ripcord to save your life. He pointed out that it was
"suggested" I practice the Twelve Steps, if I wanted to save
my life. So I try to remember daily that I have a whole
program of recovery based on all Twelve of the
"suggested" Steps.

Daily Reflection

NOVEMBER 30
PROTECTION FOR ALL
At the personal level, anonymity provides protection or all
members from identification as alcoholics, a safeguard
often of special importance to newcomers, i t the level of
press, radio, TV, and films, anonymity tresses the equality
in the Fellowship of all members by putting the brake on
those who might otherwise exploit their A.A. affiliation to
achieve recognition, power, or personal gain.
"UNDERSTANDING ANONYMITY," p. 5
Attraction is the main force in the Fellowship of A.A. The
miracle of continuous sobriety of alcoholics within A.A.
confirms this fact every day. It would be harmful if the
Fellowship promoted itself by publicizing, through the
media of radio and TV, the sobriety of well-known public
personalities who became members of A.A. If these
personalities happened to have slips, outsiders would think
our movement is not strong and they might question the
veracity of the miracle of the century. Alcoholics
Anonymous is not anonymous, but its members should be.

Daily Reflection

NOVEMBER 29
"ACTIVE GUARDIANS"
To us, however, it represents far more than a sound public
relations policy. It is more than a denial of self-seeking.
This Tradition is a constant and practical reminder that
personal ambition has no place in A A. In it, each member
becomes an active guardian of our Fellowship.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 183
The basic concept of humility is expressed in the Eleventh
Tradition: it allows me to participate completely in the
program in such a simple, yet profound, manner; it fulfills
my need to be an integral part of a significant whole.
Humility brings me closer to the actual spirit of
togetherness and oneness, without which I could not stay
sober. In remembering that every member is an example of
sobriety, each one living the Eleventh Tradition, I am able
to experience freedom because each one of us is
anonymous.

Daily Reflection

NOVEMBER 28
ATTRACTION, NOT PROMOTION
Through many painful experiences, we think we have
arrived at what that policy ought to be. It is the opposite in
many ways of usual promotional practice. We found that we
had to rely upon the principle of attraction rather than of
promotion.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, pp. 180-81
While I was drinking I reacted with anger, self-pity and
defiance against anyone who wanted to change me. All I
wanted then was to be accepted by another human simply
as I was and, curiously, that is what I found in A.A. I
became the custodian of this concept of attraction, which is
the principle of our Fellowship's public relations. It is by
attraction that I can best reach the alcoholic who still
suffers.
I thank God for having given me the attraction of a wellplanned
and established program of Steps and Traditions.
Through humility and the support of my fellow sober
members, I have been able to practice the A.A. way of life
through attraction, not promotion.

Daily Reflection

NOVEMBER 27
THE PERILS OF THE LIMELIGHT
In the beginning, the press could not understand our
refusal of all personal publicity. They were genuinely
baffled by our insistence upon anonymity. Then they got the
point. Here was something rare in the world —a society
which said it wished to publicize its principles and its work,
but not its individual members. The press was delighted
with this attitude. Ever since, these friends have reported
A.A. with an enthusiasm which the most ardent members
would find hard to match.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 182
It is essential for my personal survival and that of the
Fellowship that I not use A.A. to put myself in the
limelight. Anonymity is a way for me to work on my
humility. Since pride is one of my most dangerous
shortcomings, practicing humility is one of the best ways to
overcome it. The Fellowship of A.A. gains worldwide
recognition by its various methods of publicizing its
principles and its work, not by its individual members
advertising themselves. The attraction created by my
changing attitudes and my altruism contributes much more
to the welfare of A.A. than self-promotion.

Daily Reflection

NOVEMBER 26
THE HAZARDS OF PUBLICITY
People who symbolize causes and ideas fill a deep human
need. We of A.A. do not question that. But we do have to
soberly face the fact that being in the public eye is
hazardous, especially for us.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 181
As a recovered alcoholic I must make an effort to put into
practice the principles of the AA. program, which are
founded on honesty, truth and humility. While I was
drinking I was constantly trying to be in the limelight. Now
that I am conscious of my mistakes and of my former lack
of integrity, it would not be honest to seek prestige, even
for the justifiable purpose of promoting the A.A. message
of recovery. Is the publicity that centers around the A.A.
Fellowship and the miracles it produces not worth much
more? Why not let the people around us appreciate by
themselves the changes that A.A. has brought in us, for that
will be a far better recommendation for the Fellowship than
any I could make.

Daily Reflection

NOVEMBER 25
A POWERFUL TRADITION
In the years before the publication of the book, "Alcoholics
Anonymous," we had no name. . . . By a narrow majority
the verdict was for naming our book "The Way Out" . . .
One of our early lone members . . . found exactly twelve
books already titled "The Way Out" . . . So "Alcoholics
Anonymous" became first choice. That's how we got a name
for our book of experience, a name for our movement and,
as we are now beginning to see, a tradition of the greatest
spiritual import.
"A.A. TRADITION: HOW IT DEVELOPED," pp. 35-36
Beginning with Bill's momentous decision in Akron to
make a telephone call rather than a visit to the hotel bar,
how often has a Higher Power made itself felt at crucial
moments in our history! The eventual importance that the
principle of anonymity would acquire was but dimly
perceived, if at all, in those early days. There seems to have
been an element of chance even in the choice of a name for
our Fellowship.
God is no stranger to anonymity and often appears in
human affairs in the guises of "luck," "chance," or
"coincidence." If anonymity, somewhat fortuitously,
became the spiritual basis for all of our Traditions, perhaps
God was acting anonymously on our behalf.

Daily Reflection

NOVEMBER 24
A UNIVERSAL SEARCH
Be quick to see where religious people are right Make use
of what they offer.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 87
I do not claim to have all the answers in spiritual matters,
any more than I claim to have all the answers about
alcoholism. There are others who are also engaged in a
spiritual search. If I keep an open mind about what others
have to say, I have much to gain. My sobriety is greatly
enriched, and my practice of the Eleventh Step more
fruitful, when I use both the literature and practices of my
Judeo-Christian tradition, and the resources of other religions.
Thus, I receive support from many sources in
staying away from the first drink.

Daily Reflection

NOVEMBER 23
"HOLD YOUR FACE TO THE LIGHT"
Believe more deeply. Hold your face up to the Light, even
though for the moment you do not see.
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 3
One Sunday in October, during my morning meditation, I
glanced out the window at the ash tree in our front yard. At
once I was overwhelmed by its magnificent, golden color!
As I stared in awe at God's work of art, the leaves began to
fall and, within minutes, the branches were bare. Sadness
came over me as I thought of the winter months ahead, but
just as I was reflecting on autumn's annual process, God's
message came through. Like the trees, stripped of their
leaves in the fall, sprout new blossoms in the spring, I had
had my compulsive, selfish ways removed by God in order
for me to blossom into a sober, joyful member of A.A.
Thank you, God, for the changing seasons and for my everchanging
life.

Daily Reflection

NOVEMBER 22
ONLY TWO SINS
. . . there are only two sins; the first is to interfere with the
growth of another human being, and the second is to
interfere with one's own growth.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 542
Happiness is such an elusive state. How often do my
"prayers" for others involve "hidden" prayers for my own
agenda? How often is my search for happiness a boulder in
the path of growth for another, or even myself? Seeking
growth through humility and acceptance brings things that
appear to be anything but good, wholesome and vital. Yet
in looking back, I can see that pain, struggles and setbacks
have all contributed eventually to serenity through growth
in the program.
I ask my Higher Power to help me not cause another's
lack of growth today—or my own.

Daily Reflection

NOVEMBER 21
A CLASSIC PRAYER
Lord, make me a channel for thy peace—that where there
is hatred, I may bring love—that where there is wrong, I
may bring the spirit of forgiveness—that where there is
discord, I may bring harmony—that where there is error, I
may bring truth—that where there is doubt, I may bring
faith—that where there is despair, I may bring hope—that
where there are shadows, I may bring light—that where
there is sadness, I may bring joy. Lord, grant that I may
seek rather to comfort than to be comforted—to understand,
than to be understood—to love, than to be loved. For
it is by self-forgetting that one finds. It is by forgiving that
one is forgiven. It is by dying that one awakens to Eternal
Life. Amen.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 99
No matter where I am in my spiritual growth, the St.
Francis prayer helps me improve my conscious contact
with the God of my understanding. I think that one of the
great advantages of my faith in God is that I do not
understand Him, or Her, or It. It may be that my
relationship with my Higher Power is so fruitful that I do
not have to understand. All that I am certain of is that if I
work the Eleventh Step regularly, as best I can, I will
continue to improve my conscious contact, I will know His
will