Your Daily Reprieve 08.17.24

 

 

 

 

 

Your Daily Reprieve for Saturday August 17, 2024   From Boca Raton, FL

One exemplary act may affect one life, or even millions of lives.  All those who set standards for themselves, who strengthen the bonds of community, who do their work creditably and accept individual responsibility, are building the common future. ~John W. Gardner     You may not have saved a lot of money in your life, but if you have saved a lot of heartaches for other folks, you are a pretty rich person. ~Seth Parker   "Faith is a living, daring confidence in God's grace, so sure and certain that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times." ~Martin Luther     When he sees little kids sitting in the backseat of cars, in those little car seats that have steering wheels, with grim expressions of concentration on their faces, clearly convinced that their efforts are causing the car to do whatever it is doing, he thinks of himself and his relationship with God:  God who drives along silently, gently amused, in the real driver’s seat. -Anne Lamott

Big Book Quote     We are without defense against the first drink. P24

Daily Share!   AA Speaker of the Day   KEITH L Wilmington, NC 23rd Annual San Diego Spring Roundup Lake Murray, OK 04.22.2000   https://bit.ly/3SAyNVQ

Celebrate Your Anniversary Here SHOW NEWCOMERS HOW IT WORKS!!   August  2024 Miracles   08/01 Bill H. (Wells ME/Melbourne Beach, FL)…..15 08/01 David G. (Salem, NH)…..33 08/01 Angela (Lancashire, UK)…..20 08/01 Brenda H. (UK)…..1 08/01 Jessica E. (Sugar Land, TX)…..7 08/02 Gary K. (Kelowna, BC, Canada)…..55 08/02 Suzie J S. (Florida)…..42 08/03 Dan S. (Glen Rock, NJ)…..9 08/03 Kurt O. (Sarasota, FL)…..2 08/03 Bill V. (Epping, NH)…..36 08/04 Dan M. (Nantucket/Southern Pines, NC)…..22 08/04 Sari H. (Austin, TX/M.A. Costa Rica)…..26 08/05 Jill M. (Elmont, NY)…..1 08/05 Mary OO (Marina del Rey, CA)…..44 08/06 Jason J. (Maggie Valley, NC)…..12 08/07 Glad H. (Atlantic Beach, FL)…..28 08/07 Carrie B.(Jacksonville, FL)…..5 08/07 John D. (Natick, MA)…..16 08/08 David T. (Newmarket, NH)…..42 08/08 Lisa L. (Canton, NC)…..9 08/08 Leslie N. (New Providence, NJ)…..36 08/08 Chris G. (Stuart, F)…..20 08/08 Donna F. (Rockledge, FL)…..16 08/09 Vern M. (Basking Ridge, NJ)…..24 08/10 Rich M. (Rhinebeck, NY)…..10 08/11Page H. (Fernandina Beach, FL)…..48 08/13 Kate P. (Hampton, NH)…..35 08/13 Betsy (Chilmark, MA)…..20 08/13 Victoria S. (Carpentaria, CA)…..5 08/13 Roy W. (Fairfield, CA)…..12 08/14 Tim D. (Newburyport, MA)…..31 08/14 Ronnie B. (Graham, NC)…..2 08/14 Wendy R. (WPB, FL)…..7 08/15 Crissy E. (Maryville, TN)…..3 08/15 Andrew M. (Asheville, NC)…..2 08/15 Kurtis E. (Stuart, FL)…..2 08/15 Siobhan M. (NYC)…..25 08/15 Ann W. (Darien, CT)…..39 08/16 Charlotte C. (New York, NY)…..15 08/16 Jody M. (Laguna Niguel, CA)…..18 08/16 Tracy N. (Stuart, FL)…..18 08/17 Jon B. (Parsonsburg, MD)…..36 08/18 Paul D.(Seabrook, NH) …..4 08/18 John T. (Basking Ridge, NJ)…..8 08/18 Melissa K. (Millwood, NY)…..17 08/18 Steve C. (Jacksonville, FL)…..6 08/18 Carolyn D. (Palm City, FL)…..11 08/18 Christopher A. …..25 08/18 Sherry C. (Peabody, MA)…..15 08/20 Jamie R. (Nantucket, MA)…..7 08/21 Mary D. (Jacksonville, FL)…..17 08/21 Keith S. (Drogheda, Ireland)…..3 08/22 Jackie Y. (Tustin, California)…..30 08/22 David W. (Millbrook, AL)……5 08/23 Alyssa A. (Quincy, MA)…..1 08/24 Claire S. (Garnerville, NY/Stuart, FL)…..37 08/24 Marilyn R. (Sarasota, FL)…..29 08/24 Kim D. …..4 08/24 Scott W. (Sarasota/Indianapolis)…..22 08/25 Garry K. (Kelowna, British Columbia)…..55 08/25 Ted M. (Webster, MA)…..50 08/25 Susan E. …..1 08/25 John P. (Mallorca, Spain)…..5 08/25 Kipp T. (Port Charlotte, FL)…..5 08/26 Doug S. (Marblehead, OH)…..38 08/26 Jaime L. (Middletown, NY)…..23 08/27 Stuart W. (Old Tappan, NJ)…..23 08/27 Greg R. (NYC)…..17 08/27 Jackie K. (Eustis, FL)…..35 08/28 Cheryl C. (Philadelphia, PA)…..21 8/28 Rick K. …..6 08/28 John D. (Graham, NC)…..6 08/28 Lori K. …..10 08/29 Mary O’C. (Maynard. MA)…..12 08/30 Donna S. (Miami, FL)…..2 08/30 Jeff G. (Morristown,  NJ)…..11 08/30 Chris B. (Sandwich, NH)…..32 08/31 Sarah M. (Medford, MA)…..16   1411 Total Years of Sobriety           Drop a Buck in the Basket? PayPal paypal.me/TomMurphy Venmo @Tom-Murphy-160

12&12   Step Eight - "Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all." Right here we need to fetch ourselves up sharply. It doesn't make much sense when a real tosspot calls a kettle black. Let's remember that alcoholics are not the only ones bedeviled by sick emotions. Moreover, it is usually a fact that our behavior when drinking has aggravated the defects of others. We've repeatedly strained the patience of our best friends to a snapping point, and have brought out the very worst in those who didn't think much of us to begin with. In many instances we are really dealing with fellow sufferers, people whose woes we have increased. If we are now about to ask forgiveness for ourselves, why shouldn't we start out by forgiving them, one and all? p. 78

Twenty-Four Hours   A.A. Thought For The Day "To one who feels he is an atheist or agnostic, a spiritual experience seems impossible, but to continue as he is means disaster. To be doomed to an alcoholic death or to live on a spiritual basis are not always easy alternatives to face. But we have to face the fact that we must find a spiritual basis of life--or else. Lack of power is our dilemma. We have to find a power by which we can live, and it has to be a power greater than ourselves." Have I found that power by which I can live? Meditation For The Day Sunshine is the laughter of nature. Live out in the sunshine. The sun and air are good medicine. Nature is a good nurse for tired bodies. Let her have her way with you. God's grace is like the sunshine. Let your whole being be enwrapped in the Divine spirit. Faith is the soul's breathing in of the Divine spirit. It makes glad the hearts of human beings. The Divine spirit heals and cures the mind. Let it have its way and all will be well. Prayer For The Day I pray that I may live in the sunshine of God's spirit. I pray that my mind and soul may be energized by it.

Daily Thought ^*^*^*^*^ (\    ~~    /) (     \(AA)/     ) (_ /AA\ _) /AA\ ^*^*^*^*^ Unity  "Practically never have I heard a heated religious, political, or reform argument among A.A. members. So long as we don't argue these matters privately, it's a cinch we never shall publicly.' As by some deep instinct, we A.A.'s have known from the very beginning that we must never, no matter what the provocation, publicly take sides in any fight, even a worthy one . . . . . . We do not enter into public controversy, because we know that our Society will perish if it does. We conceive the survival and spread of Alcoholics Anonymous to be something of far greater importance than the weight we could collectively throw back of any other cause." 1952AAWS Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pp. 176-77   Thought to Consider . . .  Attitudes are contagious. Is yours worth catching?   *~*AACRONYMS*~* B U T Being Unconvinced Totally

Daily Reflection     RIGHTING THE HARM In many instances we shall find that though the harm done others has not been great, the emotional harm we have done ourselves has. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 79   Have you ever thought that the harm you did a business associate, or perhaps a family member, was so slight that it really didn't deserve an apology because they probably wouldn't remember it anyway? If that person, and the wrong done to him, keeps coming to mind, time and again, causing an uneasy or perhaps guilty feeling, then I put that person's name at the top of my "amends list," and become willing to make a sincere apology, knowing I will feel calm and relaxed about that person once this very important part of my recovery is accomplished.

Pot Luck   The Places We Go     In life, most of us want what we have envisioned for ourselves. We have plans and visions, some of them divinely inspired, that we want to see through to completion. We want to be happy, successful, and healthy, all of which are perfectly natural and perfectly human. So when life takes us to places we don’t consciously want to go, we can feel as if something has gone wrong or we must have made a mistake somewhere along the line. But in reality, this is just life’s way of taking us somewhere we need to go for reasons that are deeper than our own understanding. These hard knocks and trials are designed to shed light on our unconscious workings and deepen our life experience.   Often it takes something major to wake us up, to shake us loose from ego’s grip as it struggles to maintain the illusion that it is actually in control. It is loss of control more than anything else that humbles us and enables us to see the big picture. That lack of control reminds us that the key to the universe lies in what we do not know, and what we do know is a small fraction of the great mystery in which we live. This awareness softens and lightens us, as it helps us release our resistance to what is. Another gift gleaned from going to these seemingly undesirable places is that, in our response to difficulty, we can see all the patterns and unresolved emotional baggage that stand in the way of our unconditional joy. Joy exists within us whether things go our way or not. And when we don’t feel joy, we can still trust that we can find it if we are willing to surrender to the situation and move through it.   We can take our inspiration from any fairy tale that finds its central character lost in the dark woods, frightened and alone. We know that the journey through the woods provides its own kind of beauty and richness. On the other side, we will emerge transformed — lighter, brighter, braver, and more confident for having been through that darkness.

Wee Willie’s Sobriety First Media AA CD’s Literature and tapes https://www.mediafire.com/sobrietyfirst   Committee Consideration from the 73rd General Service Conference In response to a Committee Consideration from the 73rd General Service Conference regarding any possible future changes to literature written by A.A.’s founders,  that committee agreed it would be beneficial to gather shared experience from the Fellowship regarding this topic. Questionaire   How Should We Treat A.A. Founders' Writings?  https://bit.ly/3uhEPBK     ZOOM MEETINGS   Loose Garment Group https://us02web.zoom.us/j/238977518 Saturday & Sunday….Pot Luck…0900 ID: 238 977 518 PW: 004 394       ARCHIVES     AA World Service Board Meeting Highlights October 2023  https://bit.ly/3GlcOvE  A New Pair of Glasses in PDF (download) is available at: https://bit.ly/4bUr0Js     Bill Schaberg Writing The Big Book Video Readings https://www.youtube.com/@billschaberg8911/videos   *Angel Force USA www.AngelForceUSA.com   Angel Force USA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. OUR MISSION STOP SUISILENCE The avoidance of discussion about suicide Our goal is to raise awareness of the military suicide epidemic.       RICHMOND WALKER & THE TWENTY-FOUR HOUR BOOK Glenn C. (South Bend, Indiana) Talk given at the 8th Annual National A.A. Archives Workshop, Fort Lauderdale, Florida Sept. 27, 2003 https://www.prestongroup.org/aa_docs/24_hours_a_day.txt       **NEW MEDITATIONS** http://www.11thstepmeditation.org/     **Podcasts** https://boiledowlaa.org/ https://www.aagrapevine.org/podcast     12 Step Meditations  www.stepmeditation.com   These are 12 meditations, each about 12 minutes long and the content (other than the meditation instructions) are straight from the text of the big book and 12 & 12 (created by Matt H.)     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/