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Infallible Heartbeat
We need each other’s experience, strength, and hope,
Regardless of age and length of sobriety.
The saving grace of God doesn’t come like a bolt out of the blue.
It comes through, in, and from other suffering, as well as rescued, souls
Like you and me. I am happy to be part of a living and growing fellowship
With an infallible heartbeat. Divine power is the pulse of AA,
And it doesn’t change, no matter how errant and foolish we mortals be.
- Came To Believe . . ., p. 94

Thought to Ponder . . .
An open heart is never a lonely one.

I Believe…
That just because two people argue, that
doesn’t mean they don’t love each other.
And just because they don’t argue, that
doesn’t mean they do love each other..

I Believe…
That sometimes when I’m angry
I have the right to be angry,
but that doesn’t give me the right to be cruel.

I Believe…
That we don’t have to change friends if
we understand that friends change.

I Believe…
That no matter how good a friend is,
they’re going to hurt you every once in a while
and you must forgive them for that.

I Believe…
That true friendship continues to grow,
even over the longest distance.
Same goes for true love.

I Believe…
That you can do something in an instant
that will give you heartache for life.

I Believe…
That it’s taking me a long time
to become the person I want to be.

I Believe…
That you should always leave loved ones with
loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

I Believe…
That you can keep going long after
you think you can’t.

I Believe…
That we are responsible for what
we do, no matter how we feel.

I Believe…
That either you control your
attitude or it controls you.

I Believe…
That heroes are the people who do what
has to be done when it needs to be done,
regardless of the consequences.

I Believe…
That money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I Believe…
That my best friend and I can do anything,
or nothing, and have the best time.

I Believe….
That sometimes the people you expect to kick you
when you’re down will be the ones to help you get back up.

I Believe…
That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences
you’ve had, and what you’ve learned from them…
and less to do with how many birthdays you’ve celebrated.

I Believe…
That it isn’t always enough to be forgiven by others.
Sometimes, you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I Believe…
That no matter how bad your heart is broken
the world doesn’t stop for your grief.

I Believe…
That our background and circumstances
may have influenced who we are,
but we are responsible for who we become.

I Believe…
That you shouldn’t be so eager to find
out a secret. It could change your life forever.

I Believe…
Two people can look at the exact same
thing and see something totally different…

I Believe…
That your life can be changed in a matter of
hours by people who don’t even know you.

I Believe…
That even when you think you have no more to give, if
a friend cries out to you…you will find the strength to help.

I Believe…
That credentials on the wall
do not make you a decent human being.

I Believe…
That the people you care about most in life
are taken from you too soon.

I Believe…
That you should send this to all of the
people that you believe in. I just did.

The happiest of people don’t necessarily have the best of
everything;
they just make the most of everything.

Thank you to all the wonderful people
who help us throughout the journey of life!

passing this on - author unknown

Laughter

I began to see the miracles that happen only in AA.
People who would nearly crawl in the doors, sick and broken,
and who in a few weeks of meetings and not drinking one day at a time
would get their health back, find a little job and friends who really
cared,
and then discover a God in their lives.
But the most compelling part of AA,
the part that made me want to try this sober thing, was the laughter,
the pure joy of the laughter that I heard only from sober alcoholics.
c. 2001 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 333
With permission, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.

Thought to Ponder . . .

Take time to laugh — it is the music of the soul.Laughter

Today faith is as natural to me, a former agnostic,
as breathing, eating and sleeping.
The Twelve Steps have helped to change my life in many ways,
but none is more effective
than the acquisition of a Higher Power.
- Daily Reflections, p. 194

Thought to Ponder . . .

Faith dares the soul to go beyond what the eyes can see.

Unconditional acceptance of the fact I am an alcoholic is one of the
main ingredients in the understanding that I can never drink again or
I will die.

In spite of this, & practicing the program, attachments can be
gathered again. As it says above I’ve no idea they are there until
they are threatened. Something happens & I’m automatically back to
the “…., but what if’s?”. Thankfully I’ve got a way of living that
can help me accept my falibilty & get refocused on what really
matters.

The difference between important things like the people I love &
material things is, as a speaker I was listening to today highlighted,
that I can always get more material things if I lose them on the
journey. People are irreplaceable.

Have a tip top day everyone.

God Bless

This is AWESOME … something we should all remember.

A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o’clock, with his hair fashionably combed and shaved perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today.

His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready.

As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window.

I love it,’ he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.

Mr. Jones, you haven’t seen the room; just wait.’

‘That doesn’t have anything to do with it,’ he replied.

Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time.

Whether I like my room or not doesn’t depend on how the furniture is arranged .. it’s how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it.

‘It’s a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice;

I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do.

Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I’ll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I’ve stored away.. Just for this time in my life.

Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you’ve put in.

So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories!

Thank you for your part in filling my Memory Bank.

I am still depositing.

‘Remember the five simple rules to be happy:

1. Free your heart from hatred.

2. Free your mind from worries.

3. Live simply.

4. Give more.

5. Expect less.

Serene Confidence

My problems haven’t gone away just because I’m sober.
The truth is, they’ve increased.
But it’s a joy to fearlessly face the problems with serene confidence
that the answer will intuitively come.
Page 84 of the Big Book says so. It’s the God’s truth.

I’m beginning to see that letting go doesn’t mean giving up.
It means opening myself to new vistas
There have been moments of what I would call ecstasy.
I’m thrilled and I’m scared at the same time. . .
The AA program says, “Look, we’ve got some things to give you
that are really going to help — if you’ll slow down long enough and
if you’ll relax.”
- Came To Believe . . ., p. 41