Your Daily Reprieve 10.31.16

Your Daily Reprieve for Monday October  31, 2016 From Waynesvile, NC

To be kind is more important than to be right. Many times what people need is not a brilliant mind that speaks but a special heart that listens. ~Unknown “My dark days made me strong. Or maybe I already was strong, and they made me prove it.” ~Emery Lord "This process of identification and transmission has gone on and on. The skid rower said he was different. Even more loudly the socialite (or Park Avenue stumble bum) said the same -- so did the arts and the professions, the rich, the poor, the religious, the agnostics, the Indians and the Eskimos, the veterans and the prisoners. "But nowadays all of these, and legions more, soberly talk about how very much alike all of us alcoholics are when we all admit that the chips are finally down; when we see that it is really a question of do or die in our world wide Fellowship of 'the comon suffering and the common deliverance.'" Bill W. 1960 The most important step is the first step. Those old-timey sayings really are true. Well begun is half done. Don’t get it perfect, get it going. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. May you be blessed to get started. Nothing is more exhausting than the task that’s never started, and everything is energized when you begin to get it done. ~Prayables

Big Book Quote "To get over drinking will require a transformation of thought and attitude. We all had to place recovery above everything, for without recovery we would have lost both home and business." ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, To Employers, pg. 143~

Daily Share! AA Speaker of the Day TOM MURPHY Maggie Valley Saturday Night 10.29.2016 http://bit.ly/2ecr51r Wee Willie’s Sobriety First Media AA CD’s Literature and tapes https://www.mediafire.com/sobrietyfirst

Celebrate Your Anniversary Here SHOW HOW IT WORKS!!! If you are celebrating an anniversary this month, please send along the date and any message you would like to share with the other 3000 people on this email list and perhaps as many as 30000 others who have it forwarded. You need to remind me every year! Send your day, your location and number of years to: txm1@comcast.net October 2016 Anniversaries 10/1 Michael A. (Sag Harbor/Palm Beach)…..6 10/1 Kelly R. (Jensen Beach, FL)…..6 10/1 Mary H. (Andover, MA)…..28 10/01 George S. (Plainsboro, NJ)…..12 10/2 Armand “The Chicken Man” (Smithfield, RI)…..58 10/2 Bill F. (Miramichi, N.B., Canada)…..16 10/2 Dave R. (Bedminster, NJ)…..5 10/3 Charlie E. (Chicago, IL)…..4 10/3 Chris H. (Punta Gorda, FL)…..26 10/4 Frank D. (Astoria, NY)…..1 10/4 Kris B. (Cape Coral, FL)…..2 10/4 Tom H. (Westlake, OH)…..16 10/4 Mary R. (East Poestenkill, NY)…..19 10/5 Marty B. (Hampton, NH)…..29 10/5 Eileen A. (Wilton, CT)…..14 10/6 Annette L. (Dothan, AL)…..24 10/6 Mary Allison (Tortola, BVI)…..5 10/7 Joanna F. (NYC, NY)…..1 10/7 Donna C. (Punta Gorda, FL)…..41 10/7 Anne M. (Sag Harbor, NY).....12 10/8 Bob K. (Sebastian, FL).....33 10/8 Gillian K. (London, UK)…..26 10/8 Meredith J. (St. Simons Island, GA)…..4 10/9 Marcel L. (Memramcook N.B. Can)…..5 10/9 Xavier F. (Bronx, NY).....3 10/10 Bob J. (Norwalk, CT)…..20 10/10 Terry S. (Lake Country, BC)…..30 10/11 Harriett B. (Stuart, FL).....28 10/11 Mark B.  (Hopewell, NJ)…..10 10/11 Debbie D. (Wilton, CT)…..11 10/12 Marybeth G. (Cape May Court House, NJ).....1 10/12 Chris M. (Jackson, NJ)…..29 10/13 Don C. (Chicago/Sarasota)…..45 10/13 Matthew H. (Bristol, UK).....10 10/13 Sonia J. (Far Hills, NJ).....2 10/14 Katie B. (Stinson Beach, CA)…..2 10/14 James G. (Culebra, P.R./PEI)…..29 10/14 Kirk E. (Randolph, NJ)…..7 10/15 Bryan L.  (Groveland MA).....2 10/14 Carol H. (Glen Cove, NY)…..31 10/14 David B. (Randolph, NJ)…..10 10/15 Marianne M. (Hampton Beach, NH)…..20 10/16 John L. (Vancouver, BC, Canada)…..9 10/17 Amy S. (Islamorada, FL)…..2 10/17 Barry W. (Rye, NH)…..39 10/18 Kevin C. (Roslyn, NY).….5 10/18 Dale M. (Listuguj, Canada)…..1 10/19 Ray S. (Covington, LA)…..28 10/19 Mike H. (Boca Raton, FL)…..7 10/19 Kim L. (Nantucket, MA)…..24 10/19 Vernon M. (Listuguj, Canada)…..23 10/19 Corrie G. (San Diego, CA)…..8 10/19 DeeDee L. (Charlotte,NC/Key Largo, FL)…..17 10/20 Adam C. (Hampstead, NH)…..3 10/21 Eliot R. (New York, NY)…..16 10/21 Sue T. (Flanders, NJ)…..3 10/21 Rodney M. (Shenyang, China)....35 10/22 Betsy H. (Corpus Christi, TX)…..6 10/22 Alex L. (Tortola, BVI)…..2 10/22 Carol R. (Stuart, FL)…..13 10/23 James D. (NYC, NY)…..39 10/23 Bill B. (Stratham, NH)…..28 10/23 Liane O. (Tinley Park, IL)…..2 10/24 Andrea O. (Warren, Twp., NJ)…..3 10/25 Robyn M. (Delray Beach, FL)…..27 10/25 Fawn S. (Vero Beach, FL)…..42 10/25 Keely (California)…..34 10/26 Patrick D. (North Hampton, NH)…..29 10/26 Vic S. (Stuart, FL)…..31 10/27 Andy S. (Hopewell, NJ)…..8 10/28 Catherine C. (Stuart, FL)…..7 10/28 Craig B. (Memphis, TN)…..5 10/28 Richard S. (Guadalajara, MX).....4 10/28 Rod D. (Vero Beach, FL)…..38 10/29 Kristin F. ()…..10 10/29 LauraLea K. (Leesburg, FL)…..5 10/30 Pat D. (Bernardsville, NJ)…..4 10/30 Estelle R. (NYC, NY)…..40 10/31 Gary V. (Sharon, MA)…..3 1219 Total Years of Sobriety

12&12 Step Six - "Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character." When gluttony is less than ruinous, we have a milder word for that, too; we call it "taking our comfort." We live in a world riddled with envy. To a greater or less degree, everybody is infected with it. From this defect we must surely get a warped yet definite satisfaction. Else why would we consume such great amounts of time wishing for what we have not, rather than working for it, or angrily looking for attributes we shall never have, instead of adjusting to the fact, and accepting it? And how often we work hard with no better motive than to be secure and slothful later on-- only we call that "retiring." Consider, too, our talents for procrastination, which is really sloth in five syllables. Nearly anyone could submit a good list of such defects as these, and few of us would seriously think of giving them up, at least until they cause us excessive misery. p. 67

Twenty Four Hours A.A. Thought For The Day I have more peace and contentment. Life has fallen into place. The pieces of the jigsaw puzzle have found their correct position. Life is whole, all of one piece. I am not cast hither and yon on every wind of circumstance or fancy. I am no longer a dry leaf cast up and away by the breeze. I have found my place of rest, my place where I belong. I am content. I do not vainly wish for things I cannot have.  I have "the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference." Have I found contentment in A.A.? Meditation For The Day In all of us there is an inner consciousness that tells of God, an inner voice that speaks to our hearts. It is a voice that speaks to us intimately, personally, in a time of quiet meditation. It is like a lamp unto our feet and a light unto your path. We can reach out into the darkness and figuratively touch the hand of God. As the Big Book puts it: "Deep down in every man, woman and child is the fundamental idea of God. We can find the Great Reality deep down within us. And when we find it, it changes our whole attitude toward life." Prayer For The Day I pray that I may follow the leading of the inner voice. I pray that I may not turn a deaf ear to the urging of my conscience.

Daily Thought ^*^*^*^*^ (\    ~~    /) (     \(AA)/     ) (_ /AA\ _) /AA\ Honesty "I know the biggest word for me in AA is 'honesty.' I don't believe this program would work for me if I didn't get honest with myself about everything. Honesty is the easiest word for me to understand because it is the exact opposite of what I've been doing all my life. Therefore, it would be the hardest to work on. But I will never be totally honest - that would make me perfect, and none of us can claim to be perfect. Only God is." 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 482 Thought to Consider . . . Honesty is the absence of the intent to deceive. *~*AACRONYMS*~* C H A N G E =  Choosing Honesty Allows New Growth Every day

Daily Reflection AVOIDING CONTROVERSY All history affords us the spectacle of striving nations and groups finally torn asunder because they were designed for, or tempted into, controversy. Others fell apart because of sheer self-righteousness while trying to enforce upon the rest of mankind some millennium of their own specification. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 176 As an A.A. member and sponsor, I know I can cause real damage if I yield to temptation and give opinions and advice on another's medical, marital, or religious problems. I am not a doctor, counselor, or lawyer. I cannot tell anyone how he or she should live; however, I can share how I came through similar situations without drinking, and how A.A.'s Steps and Traditions help me in dealing with my

Pot Luck What’s Really Wrong Our sickness is not that we abuse substances. Our sickness is that we suffer from character defects that lead us to believe that we can fix our lives by using substances. I will feel better. I will feel good. I will feel that I have really got my problems licked.I tell myself, if only… I drank some booze… I snort some coke… I eat some food… I  gamble some money… Then, two or three hours later, or two or three days later, or two or three weeks later. I am totally wasted, totally wrecked, and what will I have have fixed? What will be better in my life because I have used? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. For two or three hours, or two or three days, or two or three weeks I will have had the fantasy that I was in power. Then I’ll come to, on the floor or in the street or in the detox center, and how powerful will I be then? How able will I be then to control my life? We can not do it on our own. Just because we grow up and have sex lives, have jobs and make money and have children does not mean that we know what we’re doing. Being old enough to shave every day does not mean that we are in charge, or right, or invincible. Being stronger than than our younger brothers, and stronger than our old fathers does not mean that we’re God. We are often jerks, often stubborn fools often frightened little boys. For most of us it is not until we are brought to our knees by our substance abuse - by our total inability to control our using -  that we finally admit we are not in charge. When we come to the program we finally admit we need help. Our inability to ask for help, our insistence on doing it on our own, our unwillingness to share with others - these are the root enablers of our using. Instead of asking for the help we need from others, we have used substances that make us feel we do not need that help. We have put ourselves above the common fate of humans - needing each other - and for that violation we have been outcast into the solitary hells of drinking ourselves blind, or drugging ourselves goofy or or eating ourselves sick. Once we come into the program we stop kidding ourselves. We stop kidding others. We drop from our shoulders the intolerable, impossible weight of running the world on our own. Here in the program we are down to right size, and right habits, and it’s the most amazing thing in the world - because now we’re in the world, the real world - but most things are not as bad as we made them out to be. Most people are not as bad as we made them out to be. Sure, there is suffering, there is misery, there are injustices. But there is also love, tolerance, and understanding. There are opportunities to relieve suffering and misery, opportunities serve justice. If we are willing too work with our fellow humans. If we are willing to be “a friend among friends, to be a worker among workers, to be a useful member of society.” If we are willing to put our pride and our self-centeredness in the background and work with our fellows for change, there is nothing we can not do in time. With love. And trust. Stephen Beal, Editor, Stepping Stones to Recovery for Men c1992 #37  pp. 68 - 71

PROMISES in PARADISE Featuring Clancy I. October 27-30 St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands Information & Registration http://www.promisesinparadise.com/

SENIORS IN SOBRIETY 10th International Conference Novemebr 3-6 San Diego, CA http://seniorsinsobriety.org/sis

Gulfstream Group's 3rd Annual Gratitude Day Saturday, November 12 at 8:45am Langford Park in Jensen Beach, Florida THE 12 STEPS IN 12 HOURS MIKE-CHASE E.  1, 2,&3 – PETER M. 4&5 – RUSSELL S. 6&7 CHRIS C. 8&9 – MARION W. 10&11 – PAT R. 12 PETER M. BOCA RATON, FL “HIS STORY” TICKETS $10.00 DONATION (INCLUDES) LUNCH & DINNER FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL DANNY D. (305) 684-4127 – KEOKI D. (360) 485-3523 RICHARD G. (443)482-4173 Join us for a passionate, experiential journey through the steps, celebrating the Big Book way of life as laid out for us by our co-founders, and the blessings and freedom experienced through the practical application of the steps into our daily living.

Speaker Recordings Wee Willie’s Sobriety First Media AA CD’s Literature and tapes https://www.mediafire.com/sobrietyfirst ***** The Lights are On http://xa-speakers.org/ AA Speaker Tapes http://www.aaspeakers.org/AA_Speaker_Tapes Recovery Speakers http://recoveryspeakers.com/

ARCHIVES Daily Meditations Group Home http://groups.google.com/group/Your_Daily_Reprieve?hl=en Daily Meditations Archive http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/7AMmeeting/ Blog http://todaysreprieve.blogspot.com/

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AA Membership Survey http://www.aa.org/pdf/products/p-48_membershipsurvey.pdf

Meditation Resources http://www.peterrussell.com/TV/3Min.php ***** Loving Kindness Meditations With Music http://www.excelatlife.com/mp3/direct_download.php?file=lovingkindnessmusic.mp3 Voice only http://www.excelatlife.com/mp3/direct_download.php?file=lovingkindness.mp3 ***** Free Guided Meditations http://marc.ucla.edu/body.cfm?id=22

Resources Great Minds Quotes https://twitter.com/GreatestQuotes BIG BOOK SEARCH ENGINE: http://www.whytehou se.com/big_ book_search/ Twenty Four Hours a Day Since 1954, Twenty-Four Hours a Day has become a stable force in the recovery of many alcoholics throughout the world. With over nine million copies in print (the original text has been revised), this "little black book" offers daily thoughts, meditations, and prayers for living a clean and sober life. A spiritual resource with practical applications to fit our daily lives. Copyright 1975 Hazeleden Foundation Tammy’s recovery links http://www.bluidkiti.com/forums/ NEW! Twisted Thinking Making Sense Out of Nonsense: Change Happens by Changing Your Perception by Georgia Hughes amazon.com/author/georgiahughes AA Photo Archives http://www.rewritables.net/cybriety/aa_photos.htm Heard at A Meeting https://twitter.com/heardinameeting Breast Cancer Site Take a minute and click to provide free mammograms http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/ MEN FIGHTING CANCER TOGETHER America’s largest volunteer men’s cancer support group and advocacy national nonprofit organization. http://malecare.org/ Big Book Quotes http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/BigBookQuotes/ The Universe https://www.facebook.com/scherie.dee Prayables http://prayables.org/ As We See It (AWSI) http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/AsWeSeeIt/ Keep It Simple Hazelden Meditations ePrayer http://www.eprayer.com/dailyinspiration.htm Daily Thought http://groups.google.com/group/TransitionsDaily Speaker Recordings http://storiesofrecovery.org/Workshops.htm Wisdom of the Room http://www.theWisdomoftheRooms.com

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