Your Daily Reprieve 12.03.19

Your Daily Reprieve for Tuesday  December  3, 2019 From Waynesville, NC

"Action and reaction, ebb and flow, trial and error, change - this is the rhythm of living. Out of our over-confidence, fear; out of our fear, clearer vision, fresh hope. And out of hope, progress." ~Bruce Barton “There comes a day when you realise turning the page is the best feeling in the world, because you realise there's so much more to the book than the page you were stuck on.” ~Zayne Malik “For what it’s worth... it’s never too late, or in my case too early, to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit. Start whenever you want. You can change or stay the same. There are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you’ve never felt before. I hope you meet people who have a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of, and if you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start over again.” ~F. Scott Fitzgerald “Think, think, think before you make that angry comment or mail that bitter letter. How important is it?” ~Grapevine:Dallas, Texas, October 1982

Big Book Quote ..we were at Step Three, which is that we decided to turn our will and our life over to God as we understood Him. Just what do we mean by that, and just what do we do? The first requirement is that we be convinced that any life run on self-will can hardly be a success. On that basis we are almost always in collision with something or somebody, even though our motives are good. Most people try to live by self-propulsion. ~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, How It Works, pg. 60~

Daily Share! AA Speaker of the Day ARON T St. Pete’s Beach Young Peoples Group http://bit.ly/33gABrq 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 December 2019 Miracles 12/1 Beth S. (Albuquerque, NM/Madison, NH)…..24 12/2 Wendy M. (Scottsdale, AZ)…..30 12/3 Ancil D. (Bloomington, IN)…..1 13/3 Walter S. (Jacksonville, FL)…..26 12/4 Fred E. (Stuttgart, DE)…..8 12/4 Mike K. (Floral Park, NY)…..1 12/4 Lisa B. (Trenton, MI)…..24 12/5 Sophie G. (Larchmont, NY)…..7 12/5 Bob H. ()…..35 12/5 Matt G. (Colts Neck, NJ)…..11 12/6 Dave B. (Venice, FL)…..28 12/8 Lynne L. (Portland, OR)…..46 12/8 Ed B. (Lawrenceville, NJ)…..18 12/10 Susan M. (Mendham, NJ)…..1 12/10 Kathy R. (Basking Ridge, NJ)…..9 12/11 Dawn K. ()…..12 12/11 Brendan B. (At Home)…..1 12/10 Paul K/ Gypsy (Nantucket MA / Anguilla)…..13 12/14 Linda M. (Salem, NH)…..7 12/14 Bob P. (Cullman, AL)…..29 12/15 John M. (Paros, Greece)…..17 12/16 Mike S. (Raleigh, NC)…..3 12/16 Carrie F. (Selinsgrove, AP)…..15 12/17 Joe K. (North Port, FL)…..36 12/18  Chris V. (Nashville, TN)…..12 12/19 Autumn M. (Jacksonville, FL)…..2 12/19 Kathleen S. (Haverhill, MA)…..39 12/19 Mary F. (West Newbury, MA)…..21 12/23 Pete G. (Larchmont, NY)…..39 12/23 Cathy B. (Princeton, NJ)…..15 12/26 Chick R. (Oak Forest, IL)…..22 12/27 Zoe R. (Kent, UK)…..1 12/31 Aussie Ian (Bangkok)…..25 0581  Total Years of Sobriety

12&12 Step Three - "Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him." Practicing Step Three is like the opening of a door which to all appearances is still closed and locked. All we need is a key, and the decision to swing the door open. There is only one key, and it is called willingness. Once unlocked by willingness, the door opens almost of itself, and looking through it, we shall see a pathway beside which is an inscription. It reads: "This is the way to a faith that works." In the first two Steps we were engaged in reflection. We saw that we were powerless over alcohol, but we also perceived that faith of some kind, if only in A.A. itself, is possible to anyone. These conclusions did not require action; they required only acceptance. p. 34

Twenty-Four Hours A.A. Thought For The Day There is some alcoholic thought, conscious or unconscious, that comes before every slip. As long as we live, we must be on the lookout for such thoughts and guard against them. In fact, our A.A. training is mostly to prepare us, to make us ready to recognize such thoughts at once and to reject them at once. The slip comes when we allow such thoughts to remain in our minds, even before we go through the motions of lifting the glass to our lips. The A.A. program is largely one of mental training. How well is my mind prepared? Meditation For The Day Fret not your mind with puzzles you cannot solve. The solutions may never be shown to you until you have left this life. The loss of dear ones, the inequality of life, the deformed and the maimed, and many other puzzling things may not be known to you until you reach the life beyond. "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot hear them now." Only step by step, stage by stage, can you proceed in your journey into greater knowledge and understanding. Prayer For The Day I pray that I may be content that things which I now see darkly will some day be made clear. I pray that I may have faith that someday I will see face to face.

Daily Thought ^*^*^*^*^ (\   ~~  /) (    \(AA)/    ) (_ /AA\ _) /AA\ ^*^*^*^*^ Pain "Though I still find it difficult to accept today's pain and anxiety with any great degree of serenity - as those more advanced in the spiritual life seem able to do - I can give thanks for present pain nevertheless. I find the willingness to do this by contemplating the lessons learned from past suffering - lessons which have led to the blessings I now enjoy. I can remember how the agonies of alcoholism, the pain of rebellion and thwarted pride, have often led me to God's grace, and so to a new freedom." Bill W., Grapevine, March 1962 c. 1967 AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 266 Thought to Consider . . . Joy isn't the absence of pain - it's the presence of God. *~*AACRONYMS*~* F A I L U R E Fearful, Arrogant, Insecure, Lonely, Uncertain, Resentful, Empty

Daily Reflection IN ALL OUR AFFAIRS . . . we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 106 I find that carrying the message of recovery to other alcoholics is easy because it helps me to stay sober and it provides me with a sense of well-being about my own recovery. The hard part is practicing these principles in all my affairs. It is important that I share the benefits I receive from A.A., especially at home. Doesn't my family deserve the same patience, tolerance and understanding I so readily give to the alcoholic? When reviewing my day I try to ask, "Did I have a chance to be a friend today and miss it?" "Did I have a chance to rise above a nasty situation and avoid it?" "Did I have a chance to say 'I'm sorry,' and refuse to?" Just as I ask God for help with my alcoholism each day, I ask for help in extending my recovery to include all situations and all people!

Pot Luck "Trying to pray is the same thing as praying." I didn’t pray or meditate much before I got sober. If I did pray, it was either to keep me from getting into trouble or to get me out of the trouble my selfish or self-seeking behavior got me into. As far as meditation went, my mind was way too busy for that. Besides, I had parties to go to. As my life spun out of control, I had very few tools to help me deal with the emptiness and desperation I felt most of the time. Finally, alone and afraid, I reached the bottom of my life, and that’s when I surrendered. When I began attending meetings, I heard a lot about prayer and meditation. I thought I was screwed because I didn’t know how to do either one. My sponsor was very patient with me and told me to start by just talking to God. When I told him how angry I was with God for letting my life get so bad, he encouraged me to tell God about it. He told me that God could handle anything I might say to Him. So I did. I yelled and cursed and told God off. When I sheepishly told my sponsor some of the things I had been telling God, he smiled and said, “At least you’re finally talking to Him.” And that’s when I began to get better. I have learned that God doesn’t care how you talk to Him, only that you are talking to Him. My awkward attempts at prayer counted, too, because at least I was praying. And each time I tried to meditate—for even a minute or as much as fifteen minutes—I felt better because I was finally meditating. Today, I know that any effort I make to connect with God is rewarded because God is always there, always listening. Today, I know that trying to pray is the same thing as praying.  http://www.thewisdomoftherooms.com

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* GUIDED MEDITATION http://bit.ly/2Ogwe9v 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/

Your Daily Reprieve is now on Facebook It is a PRIVATE GROUP https://www.facebook.com/groups/yourdailyreprieve/ To be added, email: sober@yourdailyreprieve.com Please share your wisdom, anecdotes and travels with other members of Your Daily Reprieve. Twitter https://twitter.com/YourDailyReprie

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

To comment or to unsubscribe: Tom Murphy C 508.221.8896 sober@yourdailyreprieve.com Skype txmurphy 405 Winchester Creek Rd Waynesville, NC 28786 PASS IT ON