Daily Reflection

FEBRUARY 24
A THANKFUL HEART
try to hold fast to the truth that a full and thankful heart
cannot entertain great conceits. When brimming with
gratitude, one's heartbeat must surely result in outgoing
love, the finest emotion that we can ever know.
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 37
My sponsor told me that I should be a grateful alcoholic
and always have "an attitude of gratitude"—that gratitude
was the basic ingredient of humility, that humility was the
basic ingredient of anonymity and that "anonymity was the
spiritual foundation of all our Traditions, ever reminding us
to place principles before personalities." As a result of this
guidance, I start every morning on my knees, thanking God
for three things: I'm alive, I'm sober, and I'm a member of
Alcoholics Anonymous. Then I try to live an "attitude of
gratitude" and thoroughly enjoy another twenty-four hours
of the A.A. way of life. A.A. is not something I joined; it's
something I live.

Daily Reflection

FEBRUARY 23
MYSTERIOUS PARADOXES
Such is the paradox of A.A. regeneration: strength arising
out of complete defeat and weakness, the loss of one's old
life as a condition for finding a new one.
A.A. COMES OF AGE, p. 46
What glorious mysteries paradoxes are! They do not
compute, yet when recognized and accepted, they reaffirm
something in the universe beyond human logic. When I
face a fear, I am given courage; when I support a brother or
sister, my capacity to love myself is increased; when I
accept pain as part of the growing experience of life, I
realize a greater happiness; when I look at my dark side, I
am brought into new light; when I accept my vulnerabilities
and surrender to a Higher Power, I am graced with
unforeseen strength. I stumbled through the doors of A.A.
in disgrace, expecting nothing from life, and I have been
given hope and dignity. Miraculously, the only way to keep
the gifts of the program is to pass them on.

Daily Reflection

FEBRUARY 22
GUIDANCE
. . . this means a belief in a Creator who is all power,
justice, and love; a God who intends for me a purpose, a
meaning, and a destiny to grow, however . . . haltingly,
toward His own likeness and image.
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 51
As I began to understand my own powerlessness and my
dependence on God, as I understand Him, I began to see
that there was a life which, if I could have it, I would have
chosen for myself from the beginning. It is through the
continuing work of the Steps and the life in the Fellowship
that I've learned to see that there is truly a better way into
which I am being guided. As I come to know more about
God, I am able to trust His ways and His plans for the
development of His character in me. Quickly or not so
quickly, I grow toward His own image and likeness

Daily Reflection

FEBRUARY 21
I'M PART OF THE WHOLE
At once, I became a part—if only a tiny part—of a cosmos.
. . .
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 225
When I first came to A.A., I decided that "they" were very
nice people—perhaps a little naive, a little too friendly, but
basically decent, earnest people (with whom I had nothing
in common). I saw "them" at meetings—after all, that was
where "they" existed. I shook hands with "them" and, when
I went out the door, I forgot about "them."
Then one day my Higher Power, whom I did not then
believe in, arranged to create a community project outside
of A.A., but one which happened to involve many A.A.
members. We worked together, I got to know "them" as
people. I came to admire "them," even to like "them" and,
in spite of myself, to enjoy "them." "Their" practice of the
program in their daily lives—not just in talk at meetings—
attracted me and I wanted what they had. Suddenly the
"they" became "we." I have not had a drink since.

Daily Reflection

FEBRUARY 20
THE GIFT OF LAUGHTER
At this juncture, his A.A. sponsor usually laughs.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 26
Before my recovery from alcoholism began, laughter was
one of the most painful sounds I knew. I never laughed and
I felt that anyone else's laughter was directed at me! My
self-pity and anger denied me the simplest of pleasures or
lightness of heart. By the end of my drinking not even
alcohol could provoke a drunken giggle in me.
When my A.A. sponsor began to laugh and point out my
self-pity and ego-feeding deceptions, I was annoyed and
hurt, but it taught me to lighten up and focus on my
recovery. I soon learned to laugh at myself and eventually I
taught those I sponsor to laugh also. Every day I ask God to
help me stop taking myself too seriously.

Daily Reflection

FEBRUARY 19
I'M NOT DIFFERENT
In the beginning, it was four whole years before A. A.
brought permanent sobriety to even one alcoholic woman.
Like the "high bottoms," the women said they were
different; . . . The Skid-Rower said he was different . . . so
did the artists and the professional people, the rich, the
poor, the religious, the agnostic, the Indians and the
Eskimos, the veterans, and the prisoners . . . nowadays all
of these, and legions more, soberly talk about how very
much alike all of us alcoholics are when we admit that the
chips are finally down.
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 24
I cannot consider myself "different" in A. A.; if I do I
isolate myself from others and from contact with my
Higher Power. If I feel isolated in A.A., it is not something
for which others are responsible. It is something I've
created by feeling I'm "different" in some way. Today I
practice being just another alcoholic in the worldwide
Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Daily Reflection

FEBRUARY 18
OUR PATHS ARE OUR OWN
. . . there was nothing left for us but to pick up the simple
kit of spiritual tools laid at our feet.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 25
My first attempt at the Steps was one of obligation and
necessity, which resulted in a deep feeling of
discouragement in the face of all those adverbs:
courageously; completely; humbly; directly; and only. I
considered Bill W. fortunate to have gone through such a
major, even sensational, spiritual experience. I had to
discover, as time went on, that my path was my own. After
a few twenty-four hours in the A.A. Fellowship, thanks
especially to the sharing of members in the meetings, I
understood that everyone gradually finds his or her own
pace in moving through the Steps. Through progressive
means, I try to live according to these suggested principles.
As a result of these Steps, I can say today that my attitude
towards life, people, and towards anything having to do
with God, has been transformed and improved.

Daily Reflection

FEBRUARY 17
THE LOVE IN THEIR EYES
Some of us won't believe in God, others can't, and still
others who do believe that God exists have no faith
whatever He will perform this miracle.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 25
It was the changes I saw in the new people who came into
the Fellowship that helped me lose my fear, and change my
negative attitude to a positive one. I could see the love in
their eyes and I was impressed by how much their "One
Day at a Time" sobriety meant to them. They had looked
squarely at Step Two and came to believe that a power
greater than themselves was restoring them to sanity. That
gave me faith in the Fellowship, and hope that it could
work for me too. I found that God was a loving God, not
that punishing God I feared before coming to A.A. I also
found that He had been with me during all those times I had
been in trouble before I came to A.A. I know today that He
was the one who led me to A.A. and that I am a miracle

Daily Reflection

FEBRUARY 16
COMMITMENT
Understanding is the key to right principles and attitudes,
and right action is the key to good living.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 125
There came a time in my program of recovery when the
third stanza of the Serenity Prayer—"The wisdom to know
the difference"—became indelibly imprinted in my mind.
From that time on, I had to face the ever-present
knowledge that my every action, word and thought was
within, or outside, the principles of the program. I could no
longer hide behind self-rationalization, nor behind the
insanity of my disease. The only course open to me, if I
was to attain a joyous life for myself (and subsequently for
those I love), was one in which I imposed on myself an
effort of commitment, discipline, and responsibility.

Daily Reflection

FEBRUARY 15
TAKING ACTION
Are these extravagant promises? We think not They are
being fulfilled among us—sometimes quickly, sometimes
slowly. They will always materialize if we work for them.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 84
One of the most important things A.A. has given me, in
addition to freedom from booze, is the ability to take "right
action." It says the promises will always materialize if I
work for them. Fantasizing about them, debating them,
preaching about them and faking them just won't work. I'll
remain a miserable, rationalizing dry drunk. By taking
action and working the Twelve Steps in all my affairs, I'll
have a life beyond my wildest dreams.

Daily Reflection

FEBRUARY 14
EXPECTATIONS vs. DEMANDS
Burn the idea into the consciousness of ever, man that he
can get well regardless of anyone. The only condition is
that he trust in God and clean house.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 98
Dealing with expectations is a frequent topic at meetings. It
isn't wrong to expect progress of myself, good things from
life, or decent treatment from others. Where I get into
trouble is when my expectations become demands. I will
fall short of what I wish to be and situations will go in
ways I do not like, because people will let me down
sometimes. The only question is: "What am I going to do
about it?" Wallow in self-pity or anger; retaliate and make
a bad situation worse; or will I trust in God's power to
bring blessings on the messes in which I find myself? Will
I ask Him what I should be learning; do I keep on doing the
right things I know how to do, no matter what; do I take
time to share my faith and blessings with others?

Daily Reflection

FEBRUARY 13
WE CAN'T THINK OUR WAY SOBER
To the intellectually self-sufficient man or woman, many A.
A.'s can say, "Yes, we were like you—far too smart for our
own good. . . . Secretly, we felt we could float above the
rest of the folks on our brain power alone."
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 60
Even the most brilliant mind is no defense against the
disease of alcoholism. I can't think my way sober. I try to
remember that intelligence is a God-given attribute that I
may use, a joy—like having a talent for dancing or drawing
or carpentry. It does not make me better than anyone else,
and it is not a particularly reliable tool for recovery, for it is
a power greater than myself who will restore me to
sanity—not a high IQ or a college degree.