AND KNOWING IS ONLY HALF THE BATTLE - "... we are to place principles before personalities; ... we are to practice a genuine humility. This to the end that our great blessings may never spoil us; that we shall forever live in thankful contemplation of ... [our Higher Power] ." (12 & 12, p. 192) "He who merely knows right principles is not equal to him who loves them."  - Confucius (551 BC - 479 BC) Chinese philosopher / teacher Today's SFZ How have you struggled with putting  "principles before personalities", lately? Eberg - The Right Thing to Do (4:27)…

“Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul.” – Emily Dickinson (1830 – 1886) U.S. poet

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THE FOLLY OF OUR BEST THINKING – “We have learned that if a solution isn’t practical, it isn’t spiritual.  In the past, we made simple  situations into problems; we made mountains out of molehills. Our best ideas got us here.”  (12 & 12, p. 52)

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LETTING THE JOY SHINE THRU IN ALL WE DO –  “Yes, we are a vision of hope.” “The joy that we have in living clean is an attraction to the addict who still suffers.”  “The steps are a new beginning!” (The Basic Text, p. 53)

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“You ask me why I do not write something … . I think one’s feelings waste themselves in words, they ought all to be distilled into actions and into actions which bring results.” – Florence Nightingale (1820 – 1910) English nurse in the Crimean War on getting into action

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“There is no greater joy nor greater reward than to make a fundamental difference in someone’s life.”

– Sister Mary Rose Mc Geady (1928 – ) rebuilder of Covenant House for teens in crisis

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‘PROGRESS, NOT PERFECTION’ – “The point is, that we are willing to grow along spiritual lines. The principles we have set down are guides to progress. We claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection.” (The Big Book, p. 60)

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A LIFE IN FULL SERVICE OF OTHERS – “Life will take on new meaning. To watch people recover, to see them help others, to watch loneliness vanish, to see a fellowship grow up about you, to have a host of friends – this is an experience you must not miss.  We know you will not want to miss it.” (The Big Book, p. 89)

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“It is very lonely sometimes, trying to play God.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. (1809 – 1894) U.S., physician, poet, lecturer and author

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BECOMING WHOM WE WANT TO BE - "We become able to make wise and lov- ing decisions, based on principles and ideals that have real value in our lives. By shaping our thoughts with spiritual ideals, we are freed to become who we want to be." (How Al-Anon Works, p. 56) THE GLOW - "S/He has been granted a gift which amounts to a new state of consciousness and being. S/He has been set on a path which tells him /her is real- ly going somewhere, that life is not a dead end, not something to be endured or mastered.…