New Post on The Official Blog of The Way Out Podcast! Thoughts For The Day~*~Promises ^*^*^ January 1

​ ​To Donate Go to To Donate Go http://ift.tt/2iSq9CF NEW YEAR! *~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~* ​​​^*^*^*^*^ (\    ~~    /) (    \(AA)/    ) (_ /AA\ _) / AA \ ^*^*^*^*^ Promises We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness. We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it. We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace. No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others. That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear. Self-seeking will slip away. Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us. We will intuitively now how to handle situations which used to baffle us. We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves. 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. c. 1976, 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 83-4 Thought to Consider . . .  It works -- it really does. ​ *~*AACRONYMS*~* G R A C E = Gently Releasing All Conscious Expectations. *~Just For Today~* Seed "It was then discovered that when one alcoholic had planted in the mind of another the true nature of his malady, that person could never be the same again. Following every spree, he would say to himself, 'Maybe those A.A.'s were right. . . .' After a few such experiences, often years before the onset of extreme difficulties, he would return to us convinced. He had hit bottom as truly as any of us. John Barleycorn himself had become our best advocate." Step One: We admitted we were powerless over alcohol ​

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New Post on The Official Blog of The Way Out Podcast! Today's Gift - 12/31/2016

Today's thought from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:Recovery for me has been almost a rebirth. I'm born again as the curious, trusting, honest child I was so long ago - the child I thought I'd lost forever.-- Paul D.For many of us, that child was just waiting for a chance to find us again. It was only waiting until we could maintain honesty, integrity, and decency. We had to relearn how to live so we wouldn't hurt that child. We had to learn to choose people more carefully so the child's trust wouldn't be betrayed. We had to embark on a new life to protect that child. Little by little we did change our lives. Little by little that child was reborn. As the child learned to trust us, it became more a part of our daily lives. We learned to look to that child for the source of our pain and with the help of our inner child, we're now beginning to heal. In learning to love our child within we are learning to accept ourselves as lovable, forgivable human beings who are ready to step out into the world and take our place in a loving community of others who are also healing.Today help me remember the child within me and to protect that part of myself in every action I take. You are reading from the book: Body, Mind, and Spirit by Anonymous Body, Mind, and Spirit © 1990 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without the permission of Hazelden. Online daily inspirationsRead a Thought for the Day from six of our most popular daily meditations books. They're posted online, every day, at hazeldenbettyford.org.                   Managing your email subscriptionsHave an account on hazelden.org?  Sign in now to manage your preferences. Can't sign in? Send us an email to Change your email address.   Unsubscribe from Today's Gift. Stop all Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation email. To send us feedback, please email todaysgift@hazeldenbettyford.org Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, 15251 Pleasant Valley Rd., P.O. Box 11, RW19, Center City, MN 55012-0011, 800-257-7810 Please feel free to forward this email to a friend.Subscribe to Today's Gift emails Have our emails been recommended to you Sign up today to receive them at no charge.  They're our daily gift to you.    

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New Post on The Official Blog of The Way Out Podcast! Thoughts For The Day~*~Guidance ^*^*^ December 31

​​​​​​Click here now to check out our list of Recovery Podcasts!*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*​ ​​​^*^*^*^*^ (\    ~~    /) (    \(AA)/    ) (_ /AA\ _) / AA \ ^*^*^*^*^ ​​ Guidance ​Walk day by day in the path of spiritual progress. If you persist, remarkable things will happen.​ When we look back, we realize the things which came to us when we put ourselves in God's hands, ​​were better than anything we could have planned. Follow the dictates of a Higher Power and you will presently live in a new and wonderful world, no matter what your present circumstances! 1976, 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 100 ​ Thought to Consider . . .​ Look for the Good. ​ *~*AACRONYMS*~* A A = Adventurers Anonymous ​ *~*^Just For Today!^*~* Diagnosis From "More About Alcoholism": "We do not like to pronounce any individual as alcoholic, but you can quickly diagnose yourself. Step over to the nearest barroom and try some controlled drinking. Try to drink and stop abruptly. Try it more than once. It will not take long for you to decide, if you are honest with yourself about it. It may be worth a bad case of jitters if you get a full knowledge of your condition." 2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth EditionAlcoholics Anonymous, pgs. 31-32 ​ *~*^Daily Reflections^*~* DAILY RESOLUTIONS The idea of "twenty-four-hour living" applies primarily to the emotional life of the individual.   Emotionally speaking, we must not live in yesterday, nor in tomorrow. AS BILL SEES IT, p.  284 A New Year: 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days, 8,760 hours, 525,600 minutes -- a time to consider directions, goals, and actions.  I must make some plans to live a normal life, but also I must live emotionally within a twenty-four-hour frame, for if I do, I don't have to make New Year's resolutions!  I can make every day a New Year's day!  I can decide, "Today I will do this ...  Today I will do that."  Each day I can measure my life by trying to do a little better, by deciding to follow God's will and by making an effort to put the principles of our A.A. program into action.  Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC. ​ *~*^As Bill Sees It^*~* The Beginning of True Kinship When we reached A.A., and for the first time in our lives stood among people who seemed to understand, the sense of belonging was tremendously exciting. We thought the isolation problem had been solved. ​  But we soon discovered that, while we weren't alone any more in a social sense, we still suffered many of the old pangs of anxious apartness. ​ Until  we ​ had talked with complete candor of our conflicts, and had listened to someone else do the same thing, we still didn't belong. ​ <<< >>>Step Five was the answer. It was the beginning of true kinship with man and God ​. TWELVE AND TWELVE, p. 57 ​ *~*^Big Book Quote^*~* "Outsiders are sometimes shocked when we burst into merriment over a ​ ​ seemingly tragic experience ​ out of the past. But why shouldn't we laugh? We have recovered, and have been given the power to help others." Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th EditionThe Family Afterward, pg. 132 ​ *^Twenty Four Hours A Day^* A.A. Thought for the Day I shall be loyal in my attendance, generous in my giving, kind in my criticism, creative in my suggestions, loving in my attitudes. I shall give A.A. my interest, my enthusiasm, my devotion, and most of all, myself. The Lord's Prayer has become part of my A.A. thoughts for each day: "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom comes. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not to temptation, but deliver us from evil." Have I given myself?  Meditation for the Day As we look back over the year just gone, it has been a good year to the extent that we have put good thoughts, good words, and good deeds into it. None of what we have thought, said, or done need be wasted. Both the good and the bad experiences can be profited by. In a sense, the past is not entirely gone. The result of it, for good or evil, is with us at the present moment. We can only learn by experience and none of our experience is completely wasted. We can humbly ​  thank God for the good things of the year that has gone.  Prayer for the Day I pray that I may carry good things into the year ahead. I pray that I may carry on with faith, with prayer, and with hope. Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012 You have 2 options to Participate in the TransitionsDaily Email & Discussion Group:1.  To join the Private Announcement Only Google Group TransitionsDaily, send an email to TransitionsDaily@gmail.comwith “Join” in the subject line.  You will be manually added to the closed Google Group TransitionsDaily.  IF YOU ALREADY RECEIVE THE DAILY TOPIC EMAIL, NO ACTION IS NECESSARY ON YOUR PART TO CONTINUE. MORE DETAILS CAN BE FOUND AT http://ift.tt/2f53TEc members of this group cannot be seen by other members or by non-members.  You are completely anonymous with no sale or disclosure of membership to other members or the redistribution of emails of any kind.  Once you have been added, you will receive a confirmation email.  Please allow 24 – 48 hours for entry. You will then receive one topic email daily.2.   To Join the Transitions Daily Secret Facebook Group, send an email to TransitionsDaily@gmail.com with “Join Facebook Group” in the subject line. Make sure and either send from the email associated with your Facebook account or specify your Facebook email in the message.  You will receive an invitation via email to join the secret Facebook group where all discussion takes place.  Every day the topic email is also posted in the Secret Facebook group.If your anonymity in regards to other members of the Facebook group is an issue, it is suggested that you create a Facebook personal profile with no personal information, using only your first name and last name initial.  Only members of the group are able to see your information.  Non-members cannot see your posts or that you are a member.  Make sure your notifications are turned so you will be reminded of the new posts.Topics are posted Daily via Email and Facebook! ​​ -- To Donate Go to: http://ift.tt/1LFEb4b   For more Information about this distribution go to http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt.   The members of this group are anonymous with no sale or disclosure of membership to other members or the redistribution of emails of any kind. Once you have been added, you will receive a confirmation email. Please allow 24 48 hours for entry.   Feel free to share http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt in meetings, with friends, sponsors, and especially your sponsees in recovery! You can also download the Transitions Daily Flyer by clicking on this link http://ift.tt/1MBbjVv to use in your service work!

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New Post on The Official Blog of The Way Out Podcast! Today's Gift - 12/30/2016

Today's thought from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:Proving ourselvesLong after a bitter failure, some of us still cling to the hope that we can erase the defeat in some spectacular way. One dream is to "prove ourselves" to those who scorned us or put us down.This never really works, even when we do become winners at some later time. For one thing, we may be proving ourselves to people who never will like us. If we are striving to show others that we can succeed, we are still dancing to their tune. We are accepting their idea of what success should be.Many of us failed simply because we were alcoholics and could do no better. We might have destroyed opportunities that will never arise again. But by finding sobriety, we may already have proved ourselves to those who really count in our lives including ourselves.I can prove today that the Twelve Step program works and that a loving Higher Power is present in my life. You are reading from the book: Walk in Dry Places by Mel B. Walk in Dry Places by Mel B. © 1996 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without the permission of Hazelden. Online daily inspirationsRead a Thought for the Day from six of our most popular daily meditations books. They're posted online, every day, at hazeldenbettyford.org.                   Managing your email subscriptionsHave an account on hazelden.org?  Sign in now to manage your preferences. Can't sign in? Send us an email to Change your email address.   Unsubscribe from Today's Gift. Stop all Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation email. To send us feedback, please email todaysgift@hazeldenbettyford.org Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, 15251 Pleasant Valley Rd., P.O. Box 11, RW19, Center City, MN 55012-0011, 800-257-7810 Please feel free to forward this email to a friend.Subscribe to Today's Gift emails Have our emails been recommended to you Sign up today to receive them at no charge.  They're our daily gift to you.    

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New Post on The Official Blog of The Way Out Podcast! Thoughts For The Day~*~Slip ^*^*^ December 30

*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~* ​​​^*^*^*^*^ (\    ~~    /) (    \(AA)/    ) (_ /AA\ _) / AA \ ^*^*^*^*^ Slip ​​ "I had commenced to drink as though the cocktails were ginger ale. ​ ​ ​ I now remembered what my ​ ​ alcoholic friends had told me, ​ ​ how they prophesied that if I had an alcoholic mind, ​ the time and place ​ would come -- ​ ​ I would drink again. . . ​ ​ I knew from that moment that I had an alcoholic mind ​. ​ I saw that ​ will power and self-knowledge would not help in those strange mental blank spots. . .  ​ I had never been ​ ​ able to understand people who said that a problem had them hopelessly defeated. ​ I knew then. It was a crushing blow." c. 1976, 2001 ​ ​ AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 41-2 Thought to Consider . . . I have learned it's the first drink that gets me drunk. *~*AACRONYMS*~* S L I P = Sobriety Loses Its Priority *~*^Just For Today!^*~*Action From "Daily Resolutions:"   "A New Year: 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days, 8,760 hours, 525,600 minutes -- a time to ​ ​ consider ​ directions, goals, and actions. I must make some plans to live a normal life, but also I must live emotionally within a twenty-four-hour frame, for if I do, I don't have to make New Year's resolutions!  I can make every day a New Year's Day! I can decide, 'Today I will do this....Today I will do that.'  Each day I can measure my life by trying to do a little better, by deciding to follow God's will and by making an effort to put the principles of our A.A. program into action." ​ c. 1990, Daily Re ​flection​ s, page 374*~*^Daily Reflections^*~*ANONYMITY Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of our Traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p.  564 Tradition Twelve became important early in my sobriety and, along with the Twelve Steps, it continues to be a must in my recovery.  I became aware after I joined the Fellowship that I had personality problems, so that when I first heard it, the Tradition's message was very clear: there exists an immediate way for me to face, with others, my alcoholism and attendant anger, defensiveness, offensiveness.  I saw Tradition Twelve as being a great ego-deflator; it relieved my anger and gave me a chance to utilize the principles of the program.  All of the Steps, and this particular Tradition, have guided me over decades of continuous sobriety.  I am grateful to those who were here when I needed them. Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~* The Sense of Belonging Perhaps one of the greatest rewards of meditation and prayer is the sense of belonging that comes to us. We no longer live in a completely hostile world. We are no longer lost and frightened and purposeless. ​  The moment we catch even a glimpse of God's will, the moment we begin to see truth, justice, and love as the real and eternal things in life, we are no longer deeply disturbed by all the seeming evidence to the contrary that surrounds us in purely human affairs. We know that God lovingly watches over us. We know that when we turn to Him, all will be well with us, here and hereafter. TWELVE AND TWELVE, P. 105 *~*^Big Book Quote^*~* "We alcoholics are sensitive people. It takes some of us a long time to outgrow that serious handicap." Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th EditionThe Family Afterward, pg. 125*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^* A.A. Thought for the Day To the extent that I fail in my responsibilities, A.A. fails. To the extent that I succeed, A.A. succeeds. Every failure of mine will set back A.A. work to that extent. Every success of mine will put A.A. ahead to that extent. I shall not wait to be drafted for service to others, but I shall volunteer. I shall accept every opportunity to work for A.A. as a challenge, and I shall do my best to accept every challenge and perform my task as best I can. Will I accept every challenge gladly?  Meditation for the Day People are failures in the deepest sense when they seek to live without God's sustaining power. Many people try to be self-sufficient and seek selfish pleasure and find that it does not work too well. No matter how much material wealth they acquire, no matter how much fame and material power, the time of disillusionment and futility usually comes. Death is ahead, and they cannot take any material thing with them when they go. What does it matter if I have gained the whole world, but lost my own soul?  Prayer for the Day I pray that I will not come empty to the end of my life. I pray that I may so live that I will not be afraid to die. Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012 ​​ You have 2 options to Participate in the TransitionsDaily Email & Discussion Group:1.  To join the Private Announcement Only Google Group TransitionsDaily, send an email to TransitionsDaily@gmail.comwith “Join” in the subject line.  You will be manually added to the closed Google Group TransitionsDaily.  IF YOU ALREADY RECEIVE THE DAILY TOPIC EMAIL, NO ACTION IS NECESSARY ON YOUR PART TO CONTINUE. MORE DETAILS CAN BE FOUND AT http://ift.tt/2f53TEc members of this group cannot be seen by other members or by non-members.  You are completely anonymous with no sale or disclosure of membership to other members or the redistribution of emails of any kind.  Once you have been added, you will receive a confirmation email.  Please allow 24 – 48 hours for entry. You will then receive one topic email daily.2.   To Join the Transitions Daily Secret Facebook Group, send an email to TransitionsDaily@gmail.com with “Join Facebook Group” in the subject line. Make sure and either send from the email associated with your Facebook account or specify your Facebook email in the message.  You will receive an invitation via email to join the secret Facebook group where all discussion takes place.  Every day the topic email is also posted in the Secret Facebook group.If your anonymity in regards to other members of the Facebook group is an issue, it is suggested that you create a Facebook personal profile with no personal information, using only your first name and last name initial.  Only members of the group are able to see your information.  Non-members cannot see your posts or that you are a member.  Make sure your notifications are turned so you will be reminded of the new posts.Topics are posted Daily via Email and Facebook! ​​ -- To Donate Go to: http://ift.tt/1LFEb4b   For more Information about this distribution go to http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt.   The members of this group are anonymous with no sale or disclosure of membership to other members or the redistribution of emails of any kind. Once you have been added, you will receive a confirmation email. Please allow 24 48 hours for entry.   Feel free to share http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt in meetings, with friends, sponsors, and especially your sponsees in recovery! You can also download the Transitions Daily Flyer by clicking on this link http://ift.tt/1MBbjVv to use in your service work!

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New Post on The Official Blog of The Way Out Podcast! Today's Gift - 12/29/2016

Today's thought from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:The Hares and the FrogsOne day the hares were discussing how they could hardly ever relax because of their fear of other animals.Just then they felt the earth tremble and saw a herd of wild horses stampeding their way. They scampered about in a panic and soon were trapped near the edge of a lake. They decided they would rather leap into the lake and drown themselves than continue living in a state of perpetual panic. But just as they were about to leap, they startled some frogs that promptly hopped into the water.The hares scanned the lake and saw that the frogs had disappeared. "Perhaps," said one hare, "things are not as bad as they seem."The moral of the story: There is always someone worse off than you.There are many others who are facing their own set of difficulties and challenges. To think that you are the only one who has problems, what you are going through is unique, or no one could possibly understand the hardships you face minimizes the needs of others. The program is for the good of all, not for the good of one. Rather than stay locked in your own mind-set and bemoan what you are facing, reach out to others.I will remember there are others who also require attention, comfort, and care. You are reading from the book: Morning Light by Amy E. Dean Morning Light © 2011 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without the permission of Hazelden. Online daily inspirationsRead a Thought for the Day from six of our most popular daily meditations books. They're posted online, every day, at hazeldenbettyford.org.                   Managing your email subscriptionsHave an account on hazelden.org?  Sign in now to manage your preferences. Can't sign in? Send us an email to Change your email address.   Unsubscribe from Today's Gift. Stop all Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation email. To send us feedback, please email todaysgift@hazeldenbettyford.org Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, 15251 Pleasant Valley Rd., P.O. Box 11, RW19, Center City, MN 55012-0011, 800-257-7810 Please feel free to forward this email to a friend.Subscribe to Today's Gift emails Have our emails been recommended to you Sign up today to receive them at no charge.  They're our daily gift to you.    

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New Post on The Official Blog of The Way Out Podcast! Thoughts For The Day~*~Motives ^*^*^ December 29

​​ ​​*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~* ​​​^*^*^*^*^ (\    ~~    /) (    \(AA)/    ) (_ /AA\ _) / AA \ ^*^*^*^*^ Motives We were depressed and complained we felt bad, when in fact we were mainly asking for sympathy and attention.  This odd trait of mind and emotion, this perverse wish to hide a bad motive underneath a good one, permeates human affairs from top to bottom. This subtle and elusive kind of self-righteousness can underlie the smallest act or thought. Learning daily to spot, admit, and correct these flaws is the essence of character building and good living. An honest regret for harms done, a genuine gratitude for blessings received, and a willingness to try for better things tomorrow will be the permanent assets we shall seek. c. 1952AAWSTwelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pp. 94-5 Thought to Consider . . . *~*AACRONYMS*~* The best things in life aren't things. P U T = Patience, Understanding, Tolerance *~*^Just For Today!^*~*   Pleasure From "The Joy of Living": "A.A. is a joyful program! Even so, I occasionally balk at taking the necessary steps to move ahead, and find myself resisting the very actions that could bring about the joy I want. I would not resist if those actions did not touch some vulnerable area of my life, an area that needs hope and fulfillment. Repeated exposure to joyfulness has a way of softening the hard, outer edges of my ego. Therein lies the power of joyfulness to help all members of A.A." 1990 AAWS, Inc. Daily Reflections, pg. 372 *~*^Daily Reflections^*~* THE JOY OF LIVING .  .  . therefore the joy of good living is the theme of A.A.'s Twelfth Step. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p.  125 A.A. is a joyful program!  Even so, I occasionally balk at taking the necessary steps to move ahead, and find myself resisting the very actions that could bring about the joy I want.  I would not resist if those actions did not touch some vulnerable area of my life, an area that needs hope and fulfillment.  Repeated exposure to joyfulness has a way of softening the hard, outer edges of my ego.  Therein lies the power of joyfulness to help all members of A.A. Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC. *~*^As Bill Sees It^*~* Only God Is Unchanging Change is the characteristic of all growth. From drinking to sobriety, from dishonesty to honesty, from conflict to serenity, from hate to love, from childish dependence to adult responsibility - all this and infinitely more represent change for the better. Such changes are accomplished by a belief in and a practice of sound principles. Here we must needs discard bad or ineffective principles in favor of good ones that work. Even good principles can sometimes be displaced by the discovery of still better ones. Only God is unchanging; only He has all the truth there is. LETTER, 1966 Copyright®1967 Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. *~* ^ Big Book Quote^*~* "Suppose we fall short of the chosen ideal and stumble? Does this mean we are going to get drunk. Some people tell us so. But this is only a half-truth. It depends on us and on our motives." Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th EditionHow It Works, Page 70 *^Twenty Four Hours A Day^* A.A. Thought for the Day Participating in the privileges of the movement, I shall share in the responsibilities, taking it upon myself to carry my fair share of the load, not grudgingly but joyfully. I am deeply grateful for the privileges I enjoy because of my membership in this great movement. They put an obligation upon me which I will not shirk. I will gladly carry my fair share of the burdens. Because of the joy of doing them, they will no longer be burdens, but opportunities. Will I accept every opportunity gladly?  Meditation for the Day Work and prayer are the two forces that are gradually making a better world. We must work for the betterment of ourselves and other people. Faith without works is dead. But all work with people should be based on prayer. If we say a little prayer before we speak or try to help, it will make us more effective. Prayer is the force behind the work. Prayer is based on faith that God is working with us and through us. We can believe that nothing is impossible in human relationships, if we depend on the help of God.  Prayer for the Day I pray that my life may be balanced between prayer and work. I pray that I may not work without prayer or pray without work. Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012 You have 2 options to Participate in the TransitionsDaily Email & Discussion Group:1.  To join the Private Announcement Only Google Group TransitionsDaily, send an email to TransitionsDaily@gmail.comwith “Join” in the subject line.  You will be manually added to the closed Google Group TransitionsDaily.  IF YOU ALREADY RECEIVE THE DAILY TOPIC EMAIL, NO ACTION IS NECESSARY ON YOUR PART TO CONTINUE. MORE DETAILS CAN BE FOUND AT http://ift.tt/2f53TEc members of this group cannot be seen by other members or by non-members.  You are completely anonymous with no sale or disclosure of membership to other members or the redistribution of emails of any kind.  Once you have been added, you will receive a confirmation email.  Please allow 24 – 48 hours for entry. You will then receive one topic email daily.2.   To Join the Transitions Daily Secret Facebook Group, send an email to TransitionsDaily@gmail.com with “Join Facebook Group” in the subject line. Make sure and either send from the email associated with your Facebook account or specify your Facebook email in the message.  You will receive an invitation via email to join the secret Facebook group where all discussion takes place.  Every day the topic email is also posted in the Secret Facebook group.If your anonymity in regards to other members of the Facebook group is an issue, it is suggested that you create a Facebook personal profile with no personal information, using only your first name and last name initial.  Only members of the group are able to see your information.  Non-members cannot see your posts or that you are a member.  Make sure your notifications are turned so you will be reminded of the new posts.Topics are posted Daily via Email and Facebook! ​​ -- To Donate Go to: http://ift.tt/1LFEb4b   For more Information about this distribution go to http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt.   The members of this group are anonymous with no sale or disclosure of membership to other members or the redistribution of emails of any kind. Once you have been added, you will receive a confirmation email. Please allow 24 48 hours for entry.   Feel free to share http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt in meetings, with friends, sponsors, and especially your sponsees in recovery! You can also download the Transitions Daily Flyer by clicking on this link http://ift.tt/1MBbjVv to use in your service work!

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New Post on The Official Blog of The Way Out Podcast! Today's Gift - 12/28/2016

Today's thought from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:Intuition is a spiritual faculty and does not explain, but simply points the way.--Florence Scovel ShinnShould we make this move? Should we change jobs? Should we talk to others about our feelings? We are seldom short on prayers when we're filled with fear and indecision. We are, however, short on answers. Our worries block them out.No prayer ever goes unanswered. Of this we can be certain. On the other hand, the answer may not be what we'd hoped for. In fact, we may not have recognized it as the answer because we were expecting something quite different. It takes willingness on our part to be free of our preconceptions--free to accept whatever answers are offered.Our answers come unexpectedly, a chance meeting on the street, a passage in a book or newspaper, a nagging feeling within. God speaks to each of us throughout the day. Our prayers are answered, our problems find solutions, our worries are eased, if we but attune ourselves to the messages. They are all around.I will be attentive to all the signs from God today. Whatever answer I seek is finding its way to me. You are reading from the book: Each Day a New Beginning by Karen Casey Each Day a New Beginning by Karen Casey. © 1982, 1991 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without the permission of Hazelden. Online daily inspirationsRead a Thought for the Day from six of our most popular daily meditations books. They're posted online, every day, at hazeldenbettyford.org.                   Managing your email subscriptionsHave an account on hazelden.org?  Sign in now to manage your preferences. Can't sign in? Send us an email to Change your email address.   Unsubscribe from Today's Gift. Stop all Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation email. To send us feedback, please email todaysgift@hazeldenbettyford.org Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, 15251 Pleasant Valley Rd., P.O. Box 11, RW19, Center City, MN 55012-0011, 800-257-7810 Please feel free to forward this email to a friend.Subscribe to Today's Gift emails Have our emails been recommended to you Sign up today to receive them at no charge.  They're our daily gift to you.    

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New Post on The Official Blog of The Way Out Podcast! Thoughts For The Day~*~Keynotes ^*^*^ December 28

​​ *~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~* ​​​^*^*^*^*^ (\    ~~    /) (    \(AA)/    ) (_ /AA\ _) / AA \ ^*^*^*^*^ Keynotes ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ We can try to stop making unreasonable demands upon those we love. We can show kindness where we had shown none. With those we dislike we can begin to practice justice and courtesy, perhaps going out of our way to understand and help them. Whenever we fail any of these people, we can promptly admit it – to ourselves always, and to them also, when the admission would be helpful. Courtesy, kindness, justice, and love are the keynotes by which we may come into harmony with practically anybody.  c. 1952 AAWSTwelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 93 Thought to Consider . . . Let us always love the best in others – and never fear their worst. ​ *~*AACRONYMS*~* H E L P = Hope, Encouragement, Love, Patience ​ *~*^Just For Today!^*~*Apology From "Our Side of the Street" I made amends to my dad soon after I quit drinking. My words fell on deaf ears since I had blamed him for my troubles. Several months later I made amends to my dad again. This time I wrote a letter in which I did not blame him or mention his faults. It worked, and at last I understood! My side of the street is all that I'm responsible for and thanks to God and A.A. it's clean for today." 1990 AAWS Inc.Daily Reflections, pg. 259 *^Daily Reflections^* SUIT UP AND SHOW UP In A.A. we aim not only for sobriety – we try again to become citizens of the world that we rejected, and of the world that once rejected us.  This is the ultimate demonstration toward which Twelfth Step work is the first but not the final step. AS BILL SEES IT, p. 21 The old line says, "Suit up and show up."  That action is so important that I like to think of it as my motto.  I can choose each day to suit up and show up, or not.  Showing up at meetings starts me toward feeling a part of that meeting, for then I can do what I say I'll do at meetings.  I can talk with newcomers, and I can share my experience; that's what credibility, honesty, and courtesy really are.  Suiting up and showing up are the concrete actions I take in my ongoing return to normal living. Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC. ​ *~*^As Bill Sees It^*~* Back To Work It is possible for us to use the alleged dishonesty of other people as a plausible excuse for not meeting our own obligations. Once, some prejudiced friends exhorted me never to go back to Wall Street. They were sure that the rampant materialism and double-dealing down there would stunt my spiritual growth. Because this sounded so high-minded, I continued to stay away from the only business that I knew. When, finally, my household went broke, I realized I hadn't been able to face the prospect of going back to work. So I returned to Wall Street, and I have ever since been glad that I did. I needed to rediscover that there are many fine people in New York's financial district. Then, too, I needed the experience of staying sober in the very surroundings where alcohol had cut me down. A Wall Street business trip to Akron, Ohio, first brought me face to face with Dr. Bob. So the birth of A.A. hinged on my effort to meet my bread-and-butter responsibilities. GRAPEVINE, AUGUST 1961 ​ *~*^Big Book Quote^*~* "Sometimes we hear an alcoholic say that the only thing he needs to do is to keep sober. Certainly he must keep sober, for there will be no home if he doesn't. But he is yet a long way from making good to the wife or parents whom for years he has so shockingly treated." Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th EditionInto Action, pg. 82 ​ *^Twenty Four Hours A Day^* ​​ A.A. Thought for the Day A.A. may be human in its organization, but it is divine in its purpose. The purpose is to point me toward God and the good life. My feet have been set upon the right path. I feel it in the depths of my being. I am going in the right direction. The future can be safely left to God. Whatever the future holds, it cannot be too much for me to bear. I have the Divine Power with me to carry me through everything that may happen. Am I pointed toward God and the good life?  Meditation for the Day Although unseen, the Lord is always near to those who believe in Him and trust Him and depend on Him for the strength to meet the challenges of life. Although veiled from mortal sight, the Higher Power is always available to us whenever we humbly ask for it. The feeling that God is with us should not depend on any passing mood of ours; we should try to be always conscious of His power and love in the background of our lives.  Prayer for the Day I pray that I may feel that God is not too far away to depend on for help. I pray that I may feel confident of His readiness to give me the power that I need. Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012 You have 2 options to Participate in the TransitionsDaily Email & Discussion Group:1.  To join the Private Announcement Only Google Group TransitionsDaily, send an email to TransitionsDaily@gmail.comwith “Join” in the subject line.  You will be manually added to the closed Google Group TransitionsDaily.  IF YOU ALREADY RECEIVE THE DAILY TOPIC EMAIL, NO ACTION IS NECESSARY ON YOUR PART TO CONTINUE. MORE DETAILS CAN BE FOUND AT http://ift.tt/2f53TEc members of this group cannot be seen by other members or by non-members.  You are completely anonymous with no sale or disclosure of membership to other members or the redistribution of emails of any kind.  Once you have been added, you will receive a confirmation email.  Please allow 24 – 48 hours for entry. You will then receive one topic email daily.2.   To Join the Transitions Daily Secret Facebook Group, send an email to TransitionsDaily@gmail.com with “Join Facebook Group” in the subject line. Make sure and either send from the email associated with your Facebook account or specify your Facebook email in the message.  You will receive an invitation via email to join the secret Facebook group where all discussion takes place.  Every day the topic email is also posted in the Secret Facebook group.If your anonymity in regards to other members of the Facebook group is an issue, it is suggested that you create a Facebook personal profile with no personal information, using only your first name and last name initial.  Only members of the group are able to see your information.  Non-members cannot see your posts or that you are a member.  Make sure your notifications are turned so you will be reminded of the new posts.Topics are posted Daily via Email and Facebook! ​​ -- To Donate Go to: http://ift.tt/1LFEb4b   For more Information about this distribution go to http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt.   The members of this group are anonymous with no sale or disclosure of membership to other members or the redistribution of emails of any kind. Once you have been added, you will receive a confirmation email. Please allow 24 48 hours for entry.   Feel free to share http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt in meetings, with friends, sponsors, and especially your sponsees in recovery! You can also download the Transitions Daily Flyer by clicking on this link http://ift.tt/1MBbjVv to use in your service work!

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New Post on The Official Blog of The Way Out Podcast! Today's Gift - 12/27/2016

Today's thought from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:May you live all the days of your life.--Jonathan SwiftIndeed life is much like a game - both a deadly serious one and one that demands laughter, relaxation, and the ability to play. Either way, life demands attention. There is much of life that is truly exciting and fascinating - are we watching for it? There is hilarity and humor - do we see it? There is that in life which is touching and full of heroism - are we open to seeing it? All these are not only present in some general, nebulous way about life, but about our lives! Right here where we live, in our lives today, there will be the hero and the goat, there will be disappointment and reason for wild celebration, there will be the beautiful and the horrible. The soap opera is not out there; it is right here with us, in us, all around us. The task is to be present in our own lives, to get our heads out of others' reality, and to find the enormous meaning and vitality of our own.Life is precious. Today, I will not take my life for granted. You are reading from the book: Days of Healing, Days of Joy by Earnie Larsen and Carol Larsen Hegarty Days of Healing, Days of Joy by Earnie Larsen and Carol Larsen Hegarty. © 1987, 1992 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without the permission of Hazelden. Online daily inspirationsRead a Thought for the Day from six of our most popular daily meditations books. They're posted online, every day, at hazeldenbettyford.org.                   Managing your email subscriptionsHave an account on hazelden.org?  Sign in now to manage your preferences. Can't sign in? Send us an email to Change your email address.   Unsubscribe from Today's Gift. Stop all Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation email. To send us feedback, please email todaysgift@hazeldenbettyford.org Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, 15251 Pleasant Valley Rd., P.O. Box 11, RW19, Center City, MN 55012-0011, 800-257-7810 Please feel free to forward this email to a friend.Subscribe to Today's Gift emails Have our emails been recommended to you Sign up today to receive them at no charge.  They're our daily gift to you.    

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New Post on The Official Blog of The Way Out Podcast! Thoughts For The Day~*~Surrender ^*^*^ December 27

*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*    ^*^*^*^*^ (\  ~~  /) (     \(AA)/     ) (_ /AA\ _) /AA\    ^*^*^*^*^ Surrender 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. But we of A.A. do not have to understand that paradox; we have only to be  grateful for it.  Bill W. c. 1957, 1985 AAWSAlcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, p. 46 Thought to Consider . . . . We surrender to win *~*AACRONYMS*~* K I S S  =  Keep It Simple, Surrender  *~*^Just For Today!^*~*   Autonomy From "When A.A. Came of Age" "Some may think that we have carried the principle of group autonomy to extremes. . . . "But this ultra-liberty is not so risky as it looks. In the end the innovators would have to adopt A.A. principles  "at least some of them"  in order to remain sober at all.  If, on the other hand, they found something better than A.A., or if they were able to improve on our methods, then in all probability we would adopt what they discovered for general use everywhere. This sort of liberty also prevents A.A. from becoming a frozen set of dogmatic principles that could not be changed even when obviously wrong."  Bill W., 1959 2001 AAWS, Inc. Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pgs. 104-05 *^Daily Reflections^* PROBLEM SOLVING "Quite as important was the discovery that spiritual principles would solve all my problems." ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p.  42 Through the recovery process described in the Big Book, I have come to realize that the same instructions that work on my alcoholism, work on much more.  Whenever I am angry or frustrated, I consider the matter a manifestation of the main problem within me, alcoholism.  As I "walk" through the Steps, my difficulty is usually dealt with long before I reach the Twelfth "suggestion," and those difficulties that persist are remedied when I make an effort to carry the message to someone else.  These principles do solve my problems!  I have not encountered an exception, and I have been brought to a way of living which is satisfying and useful. Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC. *~*^As Bill Sees It^*~* Life Is Not a Dead End When a man or a woman has a spiritual awakening, the most important meaning of it is that he has now become able to do, feel, and believe that which he could not do before on his unaided strength and resources alone. He has been granted a gift which amounts to a new state of consciousness and being. He has been set on a path which tells him he is really going somewhere, that life is not a dead end, not something to be endured or mastered. In a very real sense he has been transformed, because he has laid hold of a source of strength which he had hitherto denied himself. TWELVE AND TWELVE, PP. 106-107 *~*^Big Book Quote^*~* "We do not like to pronounce any individual as alcoholic, but you can quickly diagnose yourself, Step over to the  nearest barroom and try some controlled drinking. Try to drink and stop abruptly. Try it more than once. It will not take long for you to decide, if you are honest with yourself about it. It may be worth a bad case of jitters if you get a full knowledge of your condition." Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th EditionMore About Alcoholism, pg. 31   *^Twenty Four Hours A Day^* A.A. Thought for the Day I need the A.A. principles for the development of the buried life within me, that good life, which I had misplaced, but which I found again in this fellowship. This life within me is developing slowly but surely, with many setbacks, many mistakes, many failures, but still developing. As long as I stick close to A.A., my life will go on developing, and I cannot yet know what it will be, but I know that it will be good. That's all I want to know. It will be good. Am I thanking God for A.A.?  Meditation for the Day Build your life on the firm foundation of true gratitude to God for all His blessings and true humility because of your unworthiness of these blessings. Build the frame of your life out of self-discipline; never let yourself get selfish or lazy or contented with yourself. Build the walls of your life out of service to others, helping them to find the way to live. Build the roof of your life out of prayer and quiet times, waiting for God's guidance from above. Build a garden around your life out of peace of mind and serenity and a sure faith.  Prayer for the Day I pray that I may build my life on A.A. principles. I pray that it may be a good building when my work is finished. Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012 ​You have 2 Options to Participate in the TransitionsDaily Email & Discussion Group:1.  To join the Private Announcement Only Google Group TransitionsDaily, send an email to TransitionsDaily@gmail.comwith “Join” in the subject line.  You will be manually added to the closed Google Group TransitionsDaily.  IF YOU ALREADY RECEIVE THE DAILY TOPIC EMAIL, NO ACTION IS NECESSARY ON YOUR PART TO CONTINUE. MORE DETAILS CAN BE FOUND AT http://ift.tt/2f53TEc members of this group cannot be seen by other members or by non-members.  You are completely anonymous with no sale or disclosure of membership to other members or the redistribution of emails of any kind.  Once you have been added, you will receive a confirmation email.  Please allow 24 – 48 hours for entry. You will then receive one topic email daily.2.   To Join the Transitions Daily Secret Facebook Group, send an email to TransitionsDaily@gmail.com with “Join Facebook Group” in the subject line. Make sure and either send from the email associated with your Facebook account or specify your Facebook email in the message.  You will receive an invitation via email to join the secret Facebook group where all discussion takes place.  Every day the topic email is also posted in the Secret Facebook group.If your anonymity in regards to other members of the Facebook group is an issue, it is suggested that you create a Facebook personal profile with no personal information, using only your first name and last name initial.  Only members of the group are able to see your information.  Non-members cannot see your posts or that you are a member.  Make sure your notifications are turned so you will be reminded of the new posts.Topics are posted Daily via Email and Facebook!​ -- To Donate Go to: http://ift.tt/1LFEb4b   For more Information about this distribution go to http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt.   The members of this group are anonymous with no sale or disclosure of membership to other members or the redistribution of emails of any kind. Once you have been added, you will receive a confirmation email. Please allow 24 48 hours for entry.   Feel free to share http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt in meetings, with friends, sponsors, and especially your sponsees in recovery! You can also download the Transitions Daily Flyer by clicking on this link http://ift.tt/1MBbjVv to use in your service work!

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New Post on The Official Blog of The Way Out Podcast! Today's Gift - 12/26/2016

Today's thought from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:Believe more deeply. Hold your face up to the Light, even though for the moment you do not see.-- Bill W.At times, we'll go through pain and hardship. At times, we'll have doubts. At times, we'll get angry and think we just don't care anymore. These things can spiritually blind us. But this is normal. Hopefully, we'll be ready for those times. Hopefully, we will have friends who will be there for us.Thank God for these moments! Yes, hard times can make our spirits deep and strong. These moments tell us who we are as sober people. These moments help us grow and change. Spirituality is about choice. To be spiritual, we must turn ourselves over to the care of our Higher Power.Prayer for the DayGod, help me find You in my moments of blindness. This is when I really need You.Today's ActionToday I'll get ready for the hard times ahead. I will list my friends who will be there for me. You are reading from the book: Keep It Simple by Anonymous Keep It Simple © 1989 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without the permission of Hazelden. Online daily inspirationsRead a Thought for the Day from six of our most popular daily meditations books. They're posted online, every day, at hazeldenbettyford.org.                   Managing your email subscriptionsHave an account on hazelden.org?  Sign in now to manage your preferences. Can't sign in? Send us an email to Change your email address.   Unsubscribe from Today's Gift. Stop all Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation email. To send us feedback, please email todaysgift@hazeldenbettyford.org Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, 15251 Pleasant Valley Rd., P.O. Box 11, RW19, Center City, MN 55012-0011, 800-257-7810 Please feel free to forward this email to a friend.Subscribe to Today's Gift emails Have our emails been recommended to you Sign up today to receive them at no charge.  They're our daily gift to you.    

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New Post on The Official Blog of The Way Out Podcast! Thoughts For The Day~*~Broad Highway ^*^*^ December 26

*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*   ^*^*^*^*^(\  ~~  /)(    \(AA)/    )(_ /AA\ _)/AA\   ^*^*^*^*^Broad HighwayWe can only clear the ground a bit. If our testimony helps sweep away prejudice, enables you to think honestly, encourages you to search diligently within yourself, then, if you wish, you can join us on the Broad Highway.  With this attitude you cannot fail. The consciousness of your belief is sure to come to you. c. 1976, 2001 AAWSAlcoholics Anonymous, p. 55Thought to Consider . . . The joy is in the journey, so enjoy the ride *~*AACRONYMS*~*F A I T H =  Fantastic Adventures In Trusting Him.  *~*^Just For Today!^*~* Alike From "The Missing Link" "They opened a book and read a chapter titled 'Step Seven.' After the reading, they went around the table for comments, and for the first time in my life, I found myself surrounded by people I could really relate with. I no longer felt as if I was a major misfit, because here was a roomful of people who felt precisely as I did, and a major weight had been lifted. I happened to be in the last chair around the table to speak and, confused by the reading, all I could say was, 'What the heck are shortcomings?'" 2001 AAWS Inc.Fourth Edition; Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 286 *^Daily Reflections^*ACCEPTING SUCCESS OR FAILUREFurthermore, how shall we come to terms with seeming failure or success?  Can we now accept and adjust to either without despair or pride?  Can we accept poverty, sickness, loneliness, and bereavement with courage and serenity?  Can we steadfastly content ourselves with the humbler, yet sometimes more durable, satisfactions when the brighter, more glittering achievements are denied us?TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 112After I found A.A. and stopped drinking, it took a while before I understood why the First Step contained two parts: my powerlessness over alcohol, and my life's manageability.  In the same way, I believed for a long time that, in order to be in tune with the Twelve Steps, it was enough for me "to carry this message to alcoholics."  That was rushing things.  I was forgetting that there were a total of Twelve Steps and that the Twelfth Step also had more than one part.  Eventually I learned that it was necessary for me to "practice these principles" in all areas of my life.  In working all the Steps thoroughly, I not only stay sober and help someone else to achieve sobriety, but also I transform my difficulty with living into a joy of living. Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*A Higher Power for AtheistsI have had many experiences with atheists, mostly good. Everybody in A.A. has the right to his own opinion. It is much better to maintain an open and tolerant society than it is to suppress any small disturbances their opinions might occasion. Actually, I don't know of anybody who went off and died of alcoholism because of some atheist's opinions on the cosmos. "But I do always entreat these folks to look to a 'Higher Power' -namely, their own group. When they come in, most of their A.A. group is sober, and they are drunk. Therefore, the group is a 'Higher Power.' That's a good enough start, and most of them do progress from there. I know how they feel, because I was once that way myself."LETTER, 1962*~*^Big Book Quote^*~*"...the actual or potential alcoholic, with hardly an exception, will be absolutely unable to stop drinking on the  basis of self knowledge. This is a point we wish to emphasize and re-emphasize, to smash home upon our alcoholic  readers as it has been revealed to us out of bitter experience."Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th EditionMore About Alcoholism, pg. 39*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*A.A. Thought for the DayI am glad to be a part of A.A., of that great fellowship that is spreading over the United States and all over the world. I am only one of the many A.A.'s, but I am one. I am grateful to be living at this time, when I can help A.A. to grow, when it needs me to put my shoulder to the wheel and help keep the movement going. I am glad to be able to be useful, to have a reason for living, a purpose in life. I want to lose my life in this great cause and so find it again. Am I grateful to be an A.A.? Meditation for the DayThese meditations can teach us how to relax. We can be of service to other people in a small way, at least. And we can be happy while doing it. We should not worry too much about people we cannot help. We can make it a habit to leave the outcome of the things we do to the Higher Power. We can go along through life doing the best we can, but without a feeling of urgency or strain. We can enjoy all the good things and the beauty of life, but at the same time depend deeply on God. Prayer for the DayI pray that I may give my life to this worthwhile cause. I pray that I may enjoy the satisfaction that comes from good work well done. ​ Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012 ​You have 2 Options to Participate in the TransitionsDaily Email & Discussion Group:1.  To join the Private Announcement Only Google Group TransitionsDaily, send an email to TransitionsDaily@gmail.comwith “Join” in the subject line.  You will be manually added to the closed Google Group TransitionsDaily.  IF YOU ALREADY RECEIVE THE DAILY TOPIC EMAIL, NO ACTION IS NECESSARY ON YOUR PART TO CONTINUE. MORE DETAILS CAN BE FOUND AT http://ift.tt/2f53TEc members of this group cannot be seen by other members or by non-members.  You are completely anonymous with no sale or disclosure of membership to other members or the redistribution of emails of any kind.  Once you have been added, you will receive a confirmation email.  Please allow 24 – 48 hours for entry. You will then receive one topic email daily.2.   To Join the Transitions Daily Secret Facebook Group, send an email to TransitionsDaily@gmail.com with “Join Facebook Group” in the subject line. Make sure and either send from the email associated with your Facebook account or specify your Facebook email in the message.  You will receive an invitation via email to join the secret Facebook group where all discussion takes place.  Every day the topic email is also posted in the Secret Facebook group.If your anonymity in regards to other members of the Facebook group is an issue, it is suggested that you create a Facebook personal profile with no personal information, using only your first name and last name initial.  Only members of the group are able to see your information.  Non-members cannot see your posts or that you are a member.  Make sure your notifications are turned so you will be reminded of the new posts.Topics are posted Daily via Email and Facebook!​ -- To Donate Go to: http://ift.tt/1LFEb4b   For more Information about this distribution go to http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt.   The members of this group are anonymous with no sale or disclosure of membership to other members or the redistribution of emails of any kind. Once you have been added, you will receive a confirmation email. Please allow 24 48 hours for entry.   Feel free to share http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt in meetings, with friends, sponsors, and especially your sponsees in recovery! You can also download the Transitions Daily Flyer by clicking on this link http://ift.tt/1MBbjVv to use in your service work!

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New Post on The Official Blog of The Way Out Podcast! Today's Gift - 12/25/2016

Today's thought from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:To him, it was not the gift that mattered, but the giver.--Walter de La MareIn our material world today, we often get off track. We forget that what we really need in our lives is love and close friendships. It's too easy to take our relationships for granted. It's also too easy to take our sobriety for granted - the big gift of another chance at life. For Christians, today marks the birth of Christ, the child who came to bring love and forgiveness to all. Whether we are Christian or not, as recovering people, we know that love and forgiveness do open the gates to new life. When we live in the light of our Higher Power - whether we call that power Jesus, Yahweh, Muhammad, Buddha, or Creator - we find ourselves living that new life. Let each of us, in the name of our own Higher Power; spend this day in celebration of the new life we have been given.Prayer for the DayHigher Power, thanks for delivering new light into my life and giving me another chance. Teach me to live in the light of love and forgiveness. What a gift.Today's ActionWhat gifts of love and forgiveness can I deliver to others today? What can I give from my heart that will bring someone light and joy? A smile and a hug? A phone call? An afternoon of conversation and play? I will remember to contact my sponsor today. You are reading from the book: God Grant Me... by Anonymous God Grant Me. . . © 2005 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without the permission of Hazelden. Online daily inspirationsRead a Thought for the Day from six of our most popular daily meditations books. They're posted online, every day, at hazeldenbettyford.org.                   Managing your email subscriptionsHave an account on hazelden.org?  Sign in now to manage your preferences. Can't sign in? Send us an email to Change your email address.   Unsubscribe from Today's Gift. Stop all Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation email. To send us feedback, please email todaysgift@hazeldenbettyford.org Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, 15251 Pleasant Valley Rd., P.O. Box 11, RW19, Center City, MN 55012-0011, 800-257-7810 Please feel free to forward this email to a friend.Subscribe to Today's Gift emails Have our emails been recommended to you Sign up today to receive them at no charge.  They're our daily gift to you.    

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New Post on The Official Blog of The Way Out Podcast! Thoughts For The Day~*~Right Living ^*^*^ December 25

To Donate Go toTo Donate Go http://ift.tt/2iqwKUU Night Before Christmas *~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*   ^*^*^*^*^(\   ~~   /)(   \(AA)/   )( /AA\ )/AA\  ^*^*^*^*^ Right LivingService, gladly rendered, obligations squarely met, troubles well accepted or solved with God's help. The  knowledge that at home or in the world outside we are partners in a common effort, the well-understood fact that  in God's sight all human beings are important, the proof that love freely given surely brings a full return, the  certainty that we are no longer isolated and alone in self-constructed prisons, the surety that we need no longer be  square pegs in round holes but can fit and belong in God's scheme of things -- these are the permanent and  legitimate satisfactions of right living for which no amount of pomp and circumstance, no heap of material possessions, could possibly be substitutes.   c. 1952 AAWSTwelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 124 Thought to Consider . . .The peaks and valleys of my life have become gentle rolling hills.*~*AACRONYMS*~* B E S T  =  Been Enjoying Sobriety Today? *~*^Just For Today!^*~* Initiation Step Twelve: Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs." "There are as many definitions of spiritual awakening as there are people who have had them. But certainly each genuine one has something in common with all the others. And these things which they have in common are not too hard to understand. When a man or a woman has a spiritual awakening, the most important meaning of it is that he has now become able to do, feel, and believe that which he could not do before on his unaided strength and resources alone." 1952, AAWS, Inc. Printed 2005Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pg. 107 *^Daily Reflections^*AT PEACE WITH LIFEEvery day is a day when we must carry the vision of God's will into all of our activities.  "How can I best serve Thee -- Thy will (not mine) be done."ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p.  85I read this passage each morning, to start off my day, because it is a continual reminder to "practice these principles in all my affairs." When I keep God's will at the forefront of my mind, I am able to do what I should be doing, and that puts me at peace with life, with myself and with God. Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC. *~*^As Bill Sees It^*~* A Vision of the Whole "Though many of us have had to struggle for sobriety, never yet has this Fellowship had to struggle for lost unity. Consequently, we sometimes take this one great gift for granted. We forget that, should we lose our unity, the millions of alcoholics who still 'do not know' might never get their chance." <<< >>> "We used to be skeptical about large A.A. gatherings like conventions, thinking they might prove too exhibitionistic. But, on balance, their benefit is huge. While each A.A.'s interest should center principally in those about him and upon his own group, it is both necessary and desirable that we all get a larger vision of the whole. The General Service Conference in New York also produces this effect upon those who attend. It is a vision-stretching process." 1. LETTER, 1949 2. LETTER, 1956 *~*^Big Book Quote^*~* "Much to our relief, we discovered we did not need to consider another's conception of God. Our own conception,  however inadequate, was sufficient to make the approach and to effect a contact with Him. As soon as we admitted  the possible existence of a Creative Intelligence, a Spirit of the Universe underlying the totality of things, we began  to be possessed of a new sense of power and direction, provided we took other simple steps."  Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th EditionWe Agnostics, pg. 46 *^Twenty Four Hours A Day^* A.A. Thought for the Day Many alcoholics will be saying today: "This is a good Christmas for me." They will be looking back over past Christmases which were not like this one. They will be thanking God for their sobriety and their new-found life. They will be thinking about how their lives were changed when they came into A.A. They will be thinking that perhaps God let them live through all the hazards of their drinking careers, when they were perhaps often close to death, in order that they might be used by Him in the great work of A.A. Is this a happy Christmas for me?  Meditation for the Day The kingdom of heaven is also for the lowly, the sinners, the repentant. "And they presented unto Him gifts-gold, frankincense, and myrrh." Bring your gifts of gold-your money and material possessions. Bring your frankincense-the consecration of your life to a worthy cause. Bring your myrrh-your sympathy and understanding and help. Lay them all at the feet of God and let Him have full use of them.  Prayer for the Day I pray that I may be truly thankful on this Christmas Day. I pray that I may bring my gifts and lay them on the altar. Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012 ​You have 2 Options to Participate in the TransitionsDaily Email & Discussion Group:1.  To join the Private Announcement Only Google Group TransitionsDaily, send an email to TransitionsDaily@gmail.comwith “Join” in the subject line.  You will be manually added to the closed Google Group TransitionsDaily.  IF YOU ALREADY RECEIVE THE DAILY TOPIC EMAIL, NO ACTION IS NECESSARY ON YOUR PART TO CONTINUE. MORE DETAILS CAN BE FOUND AT http://ift.tt/2f53TEc members of this group cannot be seen by other members or by non-members.  You are completely anonymous with no sale or disclosure of membership to other members or the redistribution of emails of any kind.  Once you have been added, you will receive a confirmation email.  Please allow 24 – 48 hours for entry. You will then receive one topic email daily.2.   To Join the Transitions Daily Secret Facebook Group, send an email to TransitionsDaily@gmail.com with “Join Facebook Group” in the subject line. Make sure and either send from the email associated with your Facebook account or specify your Facebook email in the message.  You will receive an invitation via email to join the secret Facebook group where all discussion takes place.  Every day the topic email is also posted in the Secret Facebook group.If your anonymity in regards to other members of the Facebook group is an issue, it is suggested that you create a Facebook personal profile with no personal information, using only your first name and last name initial.  Only members of the group are able to see your information.  Non-members cannot see your posts or that you are a member.  Make sure your notifications are turned so you will be reminded of the new posts.Topics are posted Daily via Email and Facebook!​ -- To Donate Go to: http://ift.tt/1LFEb4b   For more Information about this distribution go to http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt.   The members of this group are anonymous with no sale or disclosure of membership to other members or the redistribution of emails of any kind. Once you have been added, you will receive a confirmation email. Please allow 24 48 hours for entry.   Feel free to share http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt in meetings, with friends, sponsors, and especially your sponsees in recovery! You can also download the Transitions Daily Flyer by clicking on this link http://ift.tt/1MBbjVv to use in your service work!

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New Post on The Official Blog of The Way Out Podcast! Today's Gift - 12/24/2016

Today's thought from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:That life is a fragile shell on the beach I have thought of before. This Christmas I am thinking big basic wonders as if I were just born.--Naomi Shihab NyeThe big basic wonders about our origin, and that of the stars, must still occur to us all, even though we're grown up and knowledgeable about astronomy and human reproduction. The germination of a seed is still much more wonderful, in a strict sense, than the mere electronic marvel of a calculator that makes twelve thousand computations in a second. Do we ever let ourselves simply wonder? Do we still open ourselves to the awe that filled us once, when we first realized the vast intricacies of the solar system or of human physiology? Every great ritual surrounds a story that is wonderful: the presence of a god; the deliverance of a people; the transformation of life or death. It's appropriate that we should respond to them with a thrill of wonder. Wonder is a gift; it contains the germs of reverence and of knowledge.Life is frail and intricate, and it contains everything I need for fulfillment. You are reading from the book: The Promise of a New Day by Karen Casey and Martha Vanceburg The Promise of a New Day by Karen Casey & Martha Vanceburg. © 1983, 1991 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without the permission of Hazelden. Online daily inspirationsRead a Thought for the Day from six of our most popular daily meditations books. They're posted online, every day, at hazeldenbettyford.org.                   Managing your email subscriptionsHave an account on hazelden.org?  Sign in now to manage your preferences. Can't sign in? Send us an email to Change your email address.   Unsubscribe from Today's Gift. Stop all Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation email. To send us feedback, please email todaysgift@hazeldenbettyford.org Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, 15251 Pleasant Valley Rd., P.O. Box 11, RW19, Center City, MN 55012-0011, 800-257-7810 Please feel free to forward this email to a friend.Subscribe to Today's Gift emails Have our emails been recommended to you Sign up today to receive them at no charge.  They're our daily gift to you.    

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New Post on The Official Blog of The Way Out Podcast! Thoughts For The Day~*~Certainty ^*^*^ December 24

​​​​​​Click here now to check out our list of Recovery Podcasts! Visit AA Night Before Christmas *~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*    ^*^*^*^*^(\  ~~  /)(    \(AA)/    )( /AA\ )/AA\   ^*^*^*^*^ Certainty The great fact is just this, and nothing less:  That we have had deep and effective spiritual experiences  which have  revolutionized our whole attitude  toward life, toward our fellows, and toward God's universe.  The central fact of  our lives today is the absolute certainty  that our Creator has entered into our hearts and lives  in a way which is  indeed miraculous.  He has commenced to accomplish those things for us  which we could never do by ourselves.  c. 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 25 Thought to Consider . . .  I stood in the sunlight at last. *~*AACRONYMS*~*Y A N A =  You Are Not Alone. *~*^Just For Today!^*~* Aid From "A Vision for You" "God will constantly disclose more to you and to us. Ask Him in your morning meditation what you can do each day for the man who is still sick. The answers will come, if your own house is in order." 2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth EditionAlcoholics Anonymous, pg. 164*^Daily Reflections^*A "SANE AND HAPPY USEFULNESS" We have come to believe He would like us to keep our heads in the clouds with Him, but that our feet ought to be firmly planted on earth.  That is where our fellow travelers are, and that is where our work must be done.  These are the realities for us.  We have found nothing incompatible between a powerful spiritual experience and a life of sane and happy usefulness. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p.  130  All the prayer and meditation in the world will not help me unless they are accompanied by action.  Practicing the principles in all my affairs shows me the care that God takes in all parts of my life.  God appears in my world when I move aside, and allow Him to step into it. Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC. *~*^As Bill Sees It^*~* Giving Without DemandWatch any A.A. of six months working with a Twelfth Step prospect. If the newcomer says, "To the devil with you," the twelfth-stepper only smiles and finds another alcoholic to help. He doesn't feel frustrated or rejected. If his next drunk responds, and in turn starts to give love and attention to other sufferers, yet gives none back to him, the sponsor is happy about it anyway. He still doesn't feel rejected; instead he rejoices that his former prospect is sober and happy.  And he well knows that his own life has been made richer, as an extra dividend of giving to another without any demand for a return. GRAPEVINE,  JANUARY 1958  Copyright®1967 Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.  *~*^Big Book Quote^*~* "Now we go out to our fellows and repair the damage done in the  past. We attempt to sweep away the debris which  has accumulated out  of our effort to live on self-will and run the show ourselves. If we  haven't the will to do this,  we ask until it comes. Remember it was  agreed at the beginning we would go to any lengths for victory over  alcohol." Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th EditionInto Action, pg.76 *^Twenty Four Hours A Day^* A.A. Thought for the Day We have been given a new life just because we happened to become alcoholics. We certainly don't deserve the new life that has been given us. There is little in our past to warrant the life we have now. Many people live good lives from their youth on, not getting into serious trouble, being well adjusted to life, and yet they have not found all that we drunks have found. We had the good fortune to find Alcoholics Anonymous and with it a new life. We are among the lucky few in the world who have learned a new way to live. Am I deeply grateful for the new life that I have learned in AA.?  Meditation for the Day A deep gratitude to the Higher Power for all the blessings that we have and that we don't deserve has come to us. We thank God and mean it. Then comes service to other people, out of gratitude for what we have received. This entails some sacrifice of ourselves and our own affairs. But we are glad to do it. Gratitude, service, and then sacrifice are the steps that lead to good A.A. work. They open the door to a new life for us. Prayer for the Day I pray that I may gladly serve others out of deep gratitude for what I have received. I pray that I may keep a deep sense of obligation.  Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012 You have 2 Options to Participate in the TransitionsDaily Email & Discussion Group:1.  To join the Private Announcement Only Google Group TransitionsDaily, send an email to TransitionsDaily@gmail.comwith “Join” in the subject line.  You will be manually added to the closed Google Group TransitionsDaily.  IF YOU ALREADY RECEIVE THE DAILY TOPIC EMAIL, NO ACTION IS NECESSARY ON YOUR PART TO CONTINUE. MORE DETAILS CAN BE FOUND AT http://ift.tt/2f53TEc members of this group cannot be seen by other members or by non-members.  You are completely anonymous with no sale or disclosure of membership to other members or the redistribution of emails of any kind.  Once you have been added, you will receive a confirmation email.  Please allow 24 – 48 hours for entry. You will then receive one topic email daily.2.   To Join the Transitions Daily Secret Facebook Group, send an email to TransitionsDaily@gmail.com with “Join Facebook Group” in the subject line. Make sure and either send from the email associated with your Facebook account or specify your Facebook email in the message.  You will receive an invitation via email to join the secret Facebook group where all discussion takes place.  Every day the topic email is also posted in the Secret Facebook group.If your anonymity in regards to other members of the Facebook group is an issue, it is suggested that you create a Facebook personal profile with no personal information, using only your first name and last name initial.  Only members of the group are able to see your information.  Non-members cannot see your posts or that you are a member.  Make sure your notifications are turned so you will be reminded of the new posts.Topics are posted Daily via Email and Facebook!​​ -- To Donate Go to: http://ift.tt/1LFEb4b   For more Information about this distribution go to http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt.   The members of this group are anonymous with no sale or disclosure of membership to other members or the redistribution of emails of any kind. Once you have been added, you will receive a confirmation email. Please allow 24 48 hours for entry.   Feel free to share http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt in meetings, with friends, sponsors, and especially your sponsees in recovery! You can also download the Transitions Daily Flyer by clicking on this link http://ift.tt/1MBbjVv to use in your service work!

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New Post on The Official Blog of The Way Out Podcast! Today's Gift - 12/23/2016

Today's thought from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:If you would be loved, love and be lovable.--Benjamin FranklinWe all desire to be loved. Our common human characteristic is our need to count in someone else's life. At least one other person needs us, we tell ourselves, when we feel least able to accept life's demands. How alike we all are. The paradox is that our own need for love is lessened when we bestow it on others. Give it away and it returns. A promise, one we can trust.The reality about love and its path from sender to receiver and back again is often distant from our minds. More often we stew and become obsessed with the lack of love's evidence in our lives. Why isn't he smiling? Why didn't she care? Has someone more interesting taken our place? Choosing to offer love, rather than to look for it, will influence every experience we have. Life will feel gentler, and the rewards will be many and far reaching.Loving others promises me the love I desire. But I can't expect it if I don't give it first. You are reading from the book: The Promise of a New Day by Karen Casey and Martha Vanceburg The Promise of a New Day by Karen Casey & Martha Vanceburg. © 1983, 1991 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without the permission of Hazelden. Online daily inspirationsRead a Thought for the Day from six of our most popular daily meditations books. They're posted online, every day, at hazeldenbettyford.org.                   Managing your email subscriptionsHave an account on hazelden.org?  Sign in now to manage your preferences. Can't sign in? Send us an email to Change your email address.   Unsubscribe from Today's Gift. Stop all Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation email. To send us feedback, please email todaysgift@hazeldenbettyford.org Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, 15251 Pleasant Valley Rd., P.O. Box 11, RW19, Center City, MN 55012-0011, 800-257-7810 Please feel free to forward this email to a friend.Subscribe to Today's Gift emails Have our emails been recommended to you Sign up today to receive them at no charge.  They're our daily gift to you.    

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New Post on The Official Blog of The Way Out Podcast! Thoughts For The Day~*~Letting Go ^*^*^ December 23

Visit  AA Night Before Christmas  *~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*   ^*^*^*^*^(\   ~~   /)(     \(AA)/     )(_ /AA\ _)/AA\   ^*^*^*^*^Letting GoLetting go of everything at once was both painful and terrifying.  I could never have accomplished this alone.  It  took the help, understanding and wonderful companionship that was given so freely to me by my ex-alkie friends. This and the program of recovery embodied in the Twelve Steps. In learning to practice these steps in my daily living, I began to acquire faith and a philosophy to live by. Whole new vistas were opened up for me, new  avenues of experience to be explored, and life began to take on color and interest. c. 1976 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 311c. 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 275Thought to Consider . . . The peaks and valleys of my life have become gentle rolling hills.*~*AACRONYMS*~*F A I T H   = Finding Answers In The Heart.*~*^Just For Today!^*~* Sharing From "Aspects of Spirituality:" "Among A.A.'s there is still a vast amount of mix-up respecting what is material and what is spiritual.  I prefer to  believe that it is all a matter of motive.  If we use our worldly possessions too selfishly, then we are materialists.  But if we share these possessions in helpfulness to others, then the material aids the spiritual." c. 1967, As Bill Sees It, page 287 *^Daily Reflections^*RECOVERY, UNITY, SERVICE Our Twelfth Step -- carrying the message -- is the basic service that AA's Fellowship gives; this is our principal aim and the main reason for our existence. THE LANGUAGE OF THE HEART, P.  160  I thank God for those who came before me, those who told me not to forget the Three Legacies: Recovery, Unity and Service.  In my home group, the Three Legacies were described on a sign which said: "You take a three-legged stool, try to balance it on only one leg, or two.  Our Three Legacies must be kept intact.  In Recovery, we get sober together; in Unity, we work together for the good of our Steps and Traditions; and through Service-we give away freely what has been given to us."  One of the chief gifts of my life has been to know that I will have no message to give, unless I recover in unity with A.A. principles.  Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC. *~*^As Bill Sees It^*~* MERRY CHRISTMAS! - Random Quote - A.A.--the Lodestar We can be grateful for every agency or method that tries to solve the problem of alcoholism--whether of medicine, religion, education, or research. We can be open-minded toward all such efforts and we can be sympathetic when the ill-advised ones fail. We can remember that A.A. itself ran for years on "trial and error."  As individuals, we can and should work with those that promise success--even a little success. <<< >>> Every one of the pioneers in the total field of alcoholism will generously say that had it not been for the living proof of recovery in A.A., they could not have gone on. A.A. was the lodestar of hope and help that kept them at it. GRAPEVINE, MARCH 1958 *~*^ Big Book Quote ^*~* "...we were at Step Three, which is that we decided to turn our will and our life over to God as we understood Him.  Just what do we mean by that, and just what do we do? The first requirement is that we be convinced that any life run on self-will can hardly be a success. On that basis we are almost always in collision with something or somebody, even though our motives are  good. Most people try to live by self-propulsion." Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th EditionHow It Works, pg. 60 *^Twenty Four Hours A Day^* A.A. Thought for the Day We have definitely left that dream world behind. It was only a sham. It was a world of our making and it was not the real world. We are sorry for the past, yes, but we learned a lot from it. We can put it down to experience, valuable experience, as we see it now, because it has given us the knowledge necessary to face the world as it really is. We had to become alcoholics in order to find the A.A. program. We would not have gotten it any other way. In a way, it was worth it. Do I look at my past as valuable experience?  Meditation for the Day Shed peace, not discord, wherever you go. Try to be part of the cure of every situation, not part of the problem. Try to ignore evil, rather than to actively combat it. Always try to build up, never to tear down. Show others by your example that happiness comes from living the right way. The power of your example is greater than the power of what you say.  Prayer for the Day I pray that I may try to bring something good into every situation today. I pray that I may be constructive in the way I think and speak and act today.  Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012You have 2 Options to Participate in the TransitionsDaily Email & Discussion Group:1.  To join the Private Announcement Only Google Group TransitionsDaily, send an email to TransitionsDaily@gmail.comwith “Join” in the subject line.  You will be manually added to the closed Google Group TransitionsDaily.  IF YOU ALREADY RECEIVE THE DAILY TOPIC EMAIL, NO ACTION IS NECESSARY ON YOUR PART TO CONTINUE. MORE DETAILS CAN BE FOUND AT http://ift.tt/2f53TEc members of this group cannot be seen by other members or by non-members.  You are completely anonymous with no sale or disclosure of membership to other members or the redistribution of emails of any kind.  Once you have been added, you will receive a confirmation email.  Please allow 24 – 48 hours for entry. You will then receive one topic email daily.2.   To Join the Transitions Daily Secret Facebook Group, send an email to TransitionsDaily@gmail.com with “Join Facebook Group” in the subject line. Make sure and either send from the email associated with your Facebook account or specify your Facebook email in the message.  You will receive an invitation via email to join the secret Facebook group where all discussion takes place.  Every day the topic email is also posted in the Secret Facebook group.If your anonymity in regards to other members of the Facebook group is an issue, it is suggested that you create a Facebook personal profile with no personal information, using only your first name and last name initial.  Only members of the group are able to see your information.  Non-members cannot see your posts or that you are a member.  Make sure your notifications are turned so you will be reminded of the new posts.Topics are posted Daily via Email and Facebook!​ -- To Donate Go to: http://ift.tt/1LFEb4b   For more Information about this distribution go to http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt.   The members of this group are anonymous with no sale or disclosure of membership to other members or the redistribution of emails of any kind. Once you have been added, you will receive a confirmation email. Please allow 24 48 hours for entry.   Feel free to share http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt in meetings, with friends, sponsors, and especially your sponsees in recovery! You can also download the Transitions Daily Flyer by clicking on this link http://ift.tt/1MBbjVv to use in your service work!

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New Post on The Official Blog of The Way Out Podcast! Today's Gift - 12/22/2016

Today's thought from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:All our loves are first loves.--Susan Fromberg SchaefferWhen we fall in love with someone, it is a unique thing that comes from deep within us. Any relationship is the creation of two people who open themselves to each other and share themselves beyond the usual boundaries. That is the excitement of true love. Two people give each other the keys to their private world, just as we might share the key to our home, trusting that it will be used with care and respect. This intimacy isn't usually instantaneous. It builds on experience together.In an intimate relationship, we have the responsibility to be good stewards of the trust given us. Looking at our partner's role is always so much easier than looking at our own, but we need to resist that easy temptation. Our first questions should always be - Do I make it safe for my partner to be open with me? Do I take my partner's vulnerability as a trust that I do not abuse? Am I gentle and respectful with the key my partner gave me?Today I will be a good partner; honoring and guarding the trust I have been given. You are reading from the book: Wisdom to Know by Anonymous Wisdom to Know © 2005 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without the permission of Hazelden. Online daily inspirationsRead a Thought for the Day from six of our most popular daily meditations books. They're posted online, every day, at hazeldenbettyford.org.                   Managing your email subscriptionsHave an account on hazelden.org?  Sign in now to manage your preferences. Can't sign in? Send us an email to Change your email address.   Unsubscribe from Today's Gift. Stop all Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation email. To send us feedback, please email todaysgift@hazeldenbettyford.org Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, 15251 Pleasant Valley Rd., P.O. Box 11, RW19, Center City, MN 55012-0011, 800-257-7810 Please feel free to forward this email to a friend.Subscribe to Today's Gift emails Have our emails been recommended to you Sign up today to receive them at no charge.  They're our daily gift to you.    

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New Post on The Official Blog of The Way Out Podcast! Thoughts For The Day~*~Let Go ^*^*^ December 22

​​Visit  AA Night Before Christmas  *~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*   ^*^*^*^*^(\  ~~  /)(     \(AA)/     )(_ /AA\ _)/AA\   ^*^*^*^*^Let GoIf you have decided you want what we have and are willing to go to any length to get it -- then you are ready to take certain steps. At some of these we balked. We thought we could find an easier, softer way. But we could not. With  all the earnestness at our command, we beg of you to be fearless and thorough from the very start. Some of us  have tried to hold on to our old ideas and the result was nil until we let go absolutely. Remember we deal with  alcohol -- cunning, baffling, powerful! Without help it is too much for us. But there is One who has all power -- that  One is God. May you find Him now!c. 1976, 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous,  p. 58 Thought to Consider . . .  When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be. *~*AACRONYMS*~* H O P E =  Heart Open; Please Enter *~*^Just For Today!^*~* Safe From "Good Housekeeping" article, 1954:   "When you stand outside a room where a group of Alcoholics Anonymous is meeting, the most frequent sound you hear is laughter.  Mellow laughter, which can come only from people who have looked destruction and catastrophe in the face, not once but continuously over long years, and now are free and unafraid.  The laughter, in short, of people who hold God's hand and feel safe." c. Letter to a Woman Alcoholic (A.A. Pamphlet P-14) ​ *~Daily Reflections~* PRINCIPLES, NOT PERSONALITIES  The way our "worthy" alcoholics have sometimes tried to judge the "less worthy" is, as we look back on it, rather comical.  Imagine, if you can, one alcoholic judging another!  THE LANGUAGE OF THE HEART, p. 37 Who am I to judge anyone?  When I first entered the Fellowship I found that I liked everyone.  After all, A.A. was going to help me to a better way of life without alcohol.  The reality was that I couldn't possibly like everyone, nor they me.  As I've grown in the Fellowship, I've learned to love everyone just from listening to what they had to say.  That person over there, or the one right here, may be the one God has chosen to give me the message I need for today.  I must always remember to place principles above personalities. Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC. *~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*Recovery Through Giving For a new prospect, outline the program of action, explaining how you made a self-appraisal, how you straightened out your past, and why you are now endeavoring to be helpful to him. It is important for him to realize that your attempt to pass this on to him plays a vital part in your own recovery. Actually, he may be helping you more than you are helping him. Make it plain that he is under no obligation to you. <<< >>> In the first six months of my own sobriety, I worked hard with many alcoholics. Not a one responded. Yet this work kept me sober. It wasn't a question of those alcoholics giving me anything. My stability came out of trying to give, not out of demanding that I receive. 1. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 94 - 2. GRAPEVINE, JANUARY 1958*~*^Big Book Quote^*~* "Once more: The alcoholic at certain times has no effective mental defense against the first drink. Except in a few  rare cases, neither he nor any other human being can provide such a defense. His defense must come from a Higher Power." Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th EditionMore About Alcoholism, pg. 43*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*A.A. Thought for the Day As we look back over our drinking careers, we must realize that our lives were a mess because we were a mess inside. The trouble was in us, not in life itself. life itself was good enough, but we were looking at it the wrong way. We were looking at life through the bottom of a whiskey glass, and it was distorted. We could not see all the beauty and goodness and purpose in the world because our vision was blurred. We were in a house with one-way glass in the windows. People could see us but we could not look out and see them and see what life meant to them and should mean to us. We were blind then, but now we can see. Can I now look at life as it really is?  Meditation for the Day Fear no evil, because the power of God can conquer evil. Evil has power to seriously hurt only those who do not place themselves under the protection of the Higher Power. This is not a question of feeling, it is an assured fact of our experience. Say to yourself with assurance that whatever it is, no evil can seriously harm you as long as you depend on the Higher Power. Be sure of the protection of God's grace.  Prayer for the Day I pray that fear of evil will not get me down. I pray that I may try to place myself today under the protection of God's grace.Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012You have 2 Options to Participate in the TransitionsDaily Email & Discussion Group:1.  To join the Private Announcement Only Google Group TransitionsDaily, send an email to TransitionsDaily@gmail.comwith “Join” in the subject line.  You will be manually added to the closed Google Group TransitionsDaily.  IF YOU ALREADY RECEIVE THE DAILY TOPIC EMAIL, NO ACTION IS NECESSARY ON YOUR PART TO CONTINUE. MORE DETAILS CAN BE FOUND AT http://ift.tt/2f53TEc members of this group cannot be seen by other members or by non-members.  You are completely anonymous with no sale or disclosure of membership to other members or the redistribution of emails of any kind.  Once you have been added, you will receive a confirmation email.  Please allow 24 – 48 hours for entry. You will then receive one topic email daily.2.   To Join the Transitions Daily Secret Facebook Group, send an email to TransitionsDaily@gmail.com with “Join Facebook Group” in the subject line. Make sure and either send from the email associated with your Facebook account or specify your Facebook email in the message.  You will receive an invitation via email to join the secret Facebook group where all discussion takes place.  Every day the topic email is also posted in the Secret Facebook group.If your anonymity in regards to other members of the Facebook group is an issue, it is suggested that you create a Facebook personal profile with no personal information, using only your first name and last name initial.  Only members of the group are able to see your information.  Non-members cannot see your posts or that you are a member.  Make sure your notifications are turned so you will be reminded of the new posts.Topics are posted Daily via Email and Facebook!​ -- To Donate Go to: http://ift.tt/1LFEb4b   For more Information about this distribution go to http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt.   The members of this group are anonymous with no sale or disclosure of membership to other members or the redistribution of emails of any kind. Once you have been added, you will receive a confirmation email. Please allow 24 48 hours for entry.   Feel free to share http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt in meetings, with friends, sponsors, and especially your sponsees in recovery! You can also download the Transitions Daily Flyer by clicking on this link http://ift.tt/1MBbjVv to use in your service work!

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