Your Daily Reprieve 11.06.19

Your Daily Reprieve for Wednesday November 6, 2019 From Waynesville, NC

"Wisdom is, and starts with, the humility to accept the fact that you don't have all the right answers, and the courage to learn to ask the right questions. " --Unknown Decisions & Actions, there is a difference- Decision is the spark that ignites action. Until a decision is made, nothing happens.... ~Wilfred A. Peterson The sole meaning of life is to serve humanity. - Leo Tolstoy “The simplicity of this program never changes -- what works is constant: trust in God, clean house, and work with others.” ~Grapevine: Concord, California, Mary 1997

Big Book Quote We have three little mottoes which are apropos. Here they are: First Things First Live and Let Live Easy Does It. ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, The Family Afterward, pg. 135~

Daily Share! AA Speaker of the Day MERCEDES McCAMBRIDGE Little Rock, AR 1973 http://bit.ly/32Hwmon Wee Willie’s Sobriety First Media AA CD’s Literature and tapes https://www.mediafire.com/sobrietyfirst

Celebrate Your Anniversary Here SHOW NEWCOMERS HOW IT WORKS!! Send your sober date to txm1@comcast.net SOBER DATE YOUR NAME YOUR LOCATION YEARS SOBER 6/10 (mo/day) Bob S Akron, OH 83 It will look like this : 6/10 Bob S. (Akron, OH).....84 November 2019 Miracles 11/1 Trish H. (Brick, NJ)…..28 11/2 Liz L. (Bernardsville, NJ)…..12 11/2 Ruth H. (Brielle, NJ/Key Largo, FL)…..1 11/2 Joyce C. (Sasn Diego, CA)…..9 11/3 Katy R. (Portland, OR)…..28 11/3 MaryBeth F. (Bernardsville, NJ)…..5 11/3 Lori Z. (Milford, NH)…..21 11/4 Pat O’D. (Boston,MA)…..39 11/4 Lou L. (Smithtown, NY)…..23 11/5 Kent L. (Silverdale, WA)…..34 11/5 Donna M. (Methuen, MA)…..13 11/5 Chrissie R. (Hilton Head, SC)…..1 11/7 Leslie E. (Mamaroneck, NY)…..13 11/7 Harry D. (Hampstead, NH)…..28 11/7 Craig S. (Vero Beach, FL)…..14 11/7 Sandi A. (Bristol, UK)…..45 11/8 Brian R. (Olney, MD)…..4 11/9 Matt K. (Bernardsville, NJ)…..9 11/10 Russ S. (Palm City, FL)…..34 11/10 Aaron M. (Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica)…..1 11/11 Jay D. (Danbury, CT/Stuart, FL)…..38 11/11 Lee J. (Waikiki, HI)…..30 11/12 Ray G. (Massillon, OH)…..7 11/12 Billy M. (NY, NY)…..3 11/13 Zack A. (NY, NY)…..5 11/13 Henry E. (Marlboro, MA)…..27 11/13 Paul M. (Aberystwyth, Wales)…..10 11/13 Joe J. (Ludlow, VT)…..14 11/15 Jamie G. (Seymour, CT)…..4 11/16 Monte M. (Conway, NH)…..15 11/18 Alex S. (NY, NY)…..6 11/19 Eva B-E. (North Port, FL)…..21 11/20 Joseph H. (Jacksonville, FL)…..1 11/22 Terry S. (Maui, HI)…..2 11/22 Brandi S. (Corpus Christi, TX)…..6 11/22 Art K. (Vernon, BC, Canada)…..26 11/23 Alan P. (Palm City, FL)…..43 11/23 Elaine J. (Newport Beach, CA)…..34 11/23 Donna B. (Hampton, NH)…..39 11/23 Mark B. (Boston, MA)…..1 11/23 Colleen M. (Raleigh, NC)…..2 11/24 Ray G. (Bangor, ME)…..51 11/24 Tony da Brooklyn Buddha/Mastic Beach…..17 11/24 Karen P. (Waynesville, NC)…..31 11/24 Imogen B, (London, UK)…..16 11/25 Ronni J. (Michigan City, IN)…..23 11/26 Pam B. (Mukwonago WI/ Summerfield FL)…..35 11/29 Deleano S. (Virgin Gorda, BVI)…..7 11/30 Dave C. (Methuen, MA)…..22 11/30 Peter V. (Kittery, ME)…..39 11/30 Ted D. (Whitefish Bay, WI)…..8 0915  Total Years of Sobriety

12&12 Step One - "We admitted we were powerless over alcohol--that our lives had become unmanageable." But upon entering A.A. we soon take quite another view of this absolute humiliation. We perceive that only through utter defeat are we able to take our first steps toward liberation and strength. Our admissions of personal powerlessness finally turn out to be firm bedrock upon which happy and purposeful lives may be built. p. 21

Twenty-Four Hours A.A. Thought For The Day Fear and worry had me down. They were increased by my drinking. I worried about what I had done when I was drunk. I was afraid of what the consequences might be. I was afraid to face people because of the fear of being found out. Fear kept me in hot water all the time. I was a nervous wreck from fear and worry. I was a tied-up bundle of nerves. I had a fear of failure, of the future, of growing old, of sickness, of hangover, of suicide. I had a wrong set of ideas and attitudes. When A.A. told me to surrender these fears and worries to a Higher Power, I did so. I now try to think faith instead of fear. Have I put faith in place of fear? Meditation For The Day Spiritual power is God in action. God can only act through human beings. Whenever you, however weak you may be, allow God to act through you, then all you think and say and do is spiritually powerful. It is not you alone who produces a change in the lives of others! It is also the Divine Spirit in you and working through you. Power is God in action. God can use you as a tool to accomplish miracles in peoples' lives. Prayer For The Day I pray that I may try to let God's power act through me today. I pray that I may get rid of those blocks which keep His power from me.

Daily Thought ^*^*^*^*^ (\    ~~    /) (     \(AA)/     ) (_ /AA\ _) /AA\ ^*^*^*^*^ Solution "The tremendous fact for every one of us is that we have discovered a common solution. We have a way out on which we can absolutely agree, and upon which we can join in brotherly and harmonious action. This is the great news this book carries to those who suffer from alcoholism." c.1976 AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 17 Thought to Consider . . . The joy is in the journey, so enjoy the ride. *~*AACRONYMS*~* F I N E Feeling Insecure, Numb, and Empty

Daily Reflection GOING WITH THE FLOW Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him. . . . TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 96 The first words I speak when arising in the morning are, "I arise, O God, to do Thy will." This is the shortest prayer I know and it is deeply ingrained in me. Prayer doesn't change God's attitude toward me; it changes my attitude toward God. As distinguished from prayer, meditation is a quiet time, without words. To be centered is to be physically relaxed, emotionally calm, mentally focused and spiritually aware. One way to keep the channel open and to improve my conscious contact with God is to maintain a grateful attitude. On the days when I am grateful, good things seem to happen in my life. The instant I start cursing things in my life, however, the flow of good stops. God did not interrupt the flow; my own negativity did.

Pot Luck Step 6: Inward and Upward                               The first five steps have supplied the framework for recovery. The Sixth Step begins the active day-to-day solution, removing what blocks us from “our usefulness” to other people, from our Higher Power, and especially (and ultimately) from ourselves.                There are four basic defects to keep us from being “entirely ready”. First we consciously decide that we will never give up a specific character defect. Next we blame our defects on others: other people, situations. or institutions. Third, we rationalize. Our capacity to rationalize seems unlimited. Before recovery, we spent years on this one  — throwing up barriers against the unpleasant realities. Finally, we do the the denial thing  again: we are totally unaware of our own contribution to our problems.                There's not much use in doing our amends in Steps 8 and 9 if there is no sign of our willingness to change by doing Steps 6 and 7. How many times in our active addiction did we  say we were sorry without the slightest intent of changing our behavior so we wouldn't have to say we are sorry again? Working Steps 8 and 9 is hollow unless we've begun the active working of the Sixth Step with humility as our guide.                Let's look at the words of Sam Shoemaker to gain some clarity on what the Sixth Step is asking of us. Sam was the benevolent clergyman who ran Calvary Church and Mission where Bill W. (AA’s cofounder and primary author of the Big Book) began his recovery. Bill W credited Shoemaker with passing on to him and the early AAs the “spiritual keys” that make up the program and the 12 Steps.                  Shoemaker wrote about the necessity of making daily surrenders. Yes, The Sixth Step it is also about surrendering, just like the Third. But Shoemaker made one point very clear: “we surrender as much of ourselves to as much of God as we understand.” In other words, our spiritual progress is based in direct proportion to our dropping the rock. We are very fortunate that all of our defects aren't revealed to us all at once. The way the recovery process works is by gaining daily insight to what we can do in removing what blocks us.                Shoemaker also passed on to the early AAs “that God reveals as much truth as you can live up to”. That statement puts us directly on page 164 of the big book, where it says, “The answers will come if our own house is in order. ”The Sixth Step helps us do that. Some have called the Sixth and Seventh Steps the “forgotten steps” because they are not talked about that much. Others have called these Steps the most important.                Working the Sixth Step, we are less likely in recovery to stay stuck in old unproductive, negative behavior patterns. We gain more understanding on how all the Steps, although ordered for a reason, need also to be worked together. This prevents us from falling into the trap of understanding only just enough of the program to make us miserable and not enough to make us happy.                The action of the Sixth and Seventh Steps culminates in letting go— all the grasping and holding to old patterns of behavior, thinking, and feeling that are harmful to our progress in recovery.                For the last word, let's return to Shoemaker, who believed progress in the spiritual life is based on our “looking inward and upward, not outward and downward.” “Step 6:Inward and Upward” . Stepping Stones to Recovery for Men

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/ Recovery Speakers http://recoveryspeakers.com/

ARCHIVES *NEW* http://www.bigbookfordummies.com/ An On-Line Study Resource 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 (2014) http://www.aa.org/pdf/products/p-48_membershipsurvey.pdf 2015 http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk/Members/2015-Membership-Survey/Survey-Results-Page-2

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 https://thebreastcancersite.greatergood.com/clickToGive/bcs/home 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 Daily Thought http://groups.google.com/group/TransitionsDaily Speaker Recordings http://storiesofrecovery.org/Workshops.htm {Under Reconstruction} Wisdom of the Room http://www.theWisdomoftheRooms.com

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