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From Spiritual Awakenings
JANUARY 10
“AA and the Religious Turnoff”
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 1977
“I realized that it is possible to believe in a Higher Power, in the efficacy of prayer and meditation, in making a conscious contact with a Higher Power as those concepts, privately understood—or not understood—are suggested in AA, without the loss of one iota of my precious identity.”
From Spiritual Awakenings
JANUARY 11
“Let’s Keep It Simple—But How?”
AA CO-FOUNDER, BILL W., JULY 1960
“We organize our principles merely so that they can be better understood, and we continue so to organize our services that AA’s life-blood can be transfused into those who must otherwise die. That is the all-in-all of AA’s ‘organization.’ There can never be any more than this.”
From The Language of the Heart
JANUARY 12
“The Spiritual Kind of Thirst”
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, AUGUST 1965
“I don’t believe I drank to get drunk, but always to seek in the next drink that peace for which a sick soul seems to thirst.”
From Spiritual Awakenings
JANUARY 13
“Unity Seldom Means That We All Agree”
SPRINGVILLE, UTAH, JANUARY 1998
“Unity seldom means that we all agree on everything. Nor is unity served by setting aside our concerns and conforming to the majority opinion (or the vocal minority). ... Unity is best achieved by a full hearing of all points of view ... time for all of those involved to step back from emotional responses ... as well as careful consideration and prayer for that which will best serve the group or AA as a whole.”
From I Am Responsible
JANUARY 14
“A Candle of Hope”
CLEVELAND, OHIO, APRIL 1991
“Every day, hopeless, helpless alcoholics walk into AA meetings, grab onto hope, and begin a renewal of their spirit.”
From Spiritual Awakenings
JANUARY 15
“Journey of the Spirit”
ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO, APRIL 1984
“I am grateful that the people in AA showed me how to live sober. However, I have learned many things from other sources. I learned about quiet from the breeze floating through the grass on a warm summer day. I have learned unconditional love from my animals. I have learned how to have wonder of the world from my children. I have learned that all things have tremendous power.”
From Spiritual Awakenings
JANUARY 16
“Conscious Contact”
WEST SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, APRIL 1990
“The God I know today ... is a presence in which I find myself, just as I am.”
From Spiritual Awakenings
JANUARY 17
“At Home in a Home Group”
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, MAY 1997
“My drinking career was all about running away. I could pack up and vanish in a flash. Now ... I’m taking the risk to stick around, to just show up and see what happens.”
From Beginners’ Book
JANUARY 18
“Learning to Handle Sobriety”
CONNECTICUT, MARCH 1975
“AA does not teach us how to handle our drinking; it teaches us how to handle our sobriety.”
From AA Grapevine
JANUARY 19
“‘Rules’ Dangerous but Unity Vital”
AA CO-FOUNDER, BILL W., SEPTEMBER 1945
“When we AAs look to the future, we must always ask ourselves if the spirit which now binds us together in our
