Your Daily Reprieve 09.04.25

 

Your Daily Reprieve for Thursday  September 4, 2025   From Waynesville, NC

“Throughout the world, AAs are twelfth-stepping with thousands of new prospects a month. Between one and two thousand of these stick on our first presentation; past experience shows that most of the remainder will come back to us later on. Almost entirely unorganized and completely nonprofessional, this mighty spiritual current is now flowing from alcoholics who are well to those who are sick. One alcoholic talking to another; that's all.” ~AA Co-Founder, Bill W., July 1948   Whenever we recognize an outsized emotional response, we can be pretty certain that we are over-identified with something or our shadow self has just been activated and exposed. If we are ultimately incapable of detaching from an emotion, we are far too attached!   —Richard Rohr   What passion always refers to in the ancient texts is this peculiar, compulsive nature of stuck emotion. The passions are really stuck emotions, revolving around themselves to generate drama.    —Cynthia Bourgeault   "Hide yourself in God, so when a man wants to find you he will have to go there first" ~Shannon L. Alder

Big Book Quote   These observations would be academic and pointless if our friend never took the first drink, thereby setting the terrible cycle in motion. Therefore, the main problem of the alcoholic centers in his mind, rather than in his body.   P23

Daily Share!     AA Speaker of the Day   KURT Z. Redondo Beach, CA Serenity Improvement Group 05.06.25   https://tinyurl.com/4bpu2ku5

Celebrate Your Anniversary Here SHOW NEWCOMERS HOW IT WORKS!!   SEPTEMBER 2025 Miracles     9/1 Billy K. (Vero Beach, FL)…..25 9/2 George B. (Cocoa Beach, FL)…..11 9/2 Leslie Z. (Valley Village, CA)…..44 9/3 Edward H. (Andover, MA)…..42 9/4 Bob B. (North Fort Myers, FL)…..52 9/5 Janet F. (Nantucket, MA)…..32 9/5 James O’K.(Portland, ME) …..12 9/5 Susan L. (Basking Ridge, NJ)…..31 9/5 Chris L. (Bristol, RI)…..37 9/6 Jim H. (Fernandina Bech, FL)…..6 9/6 Sean N. (Solihull, UK)…..5 9/6 Karen M. (NY)…..33 9/6 Rosie M. (Madison, NJ)…..2 9/6 Neil B. (Floral Park)…..32 9/8 Billy O. (Tequesta, FL)…..45 9/9 Tony S. (Jacksonville, FL)…..3 9/9 Jeanne W. (Jacksonville, FL)…..5 9/10 Sue B. (Haiku, HI/Melbourne Beach, FL)…..14 9/11 Amelia G. (Sydney, Australia)…..1 9/11 Deck H. (Westport, CT)…..39 9/13 Jim L. (Ludlow, VT)…..13 9/13 Lisa N. (Bergen County, NJ)…..14 9/13 Mark M. (Long Island, NY)…..8 9/14 Mitchell W. …..5 9/15 Fiona H. (Hampshire, UK)…..6 9/15 Hillary M. (New Canaan, CT) …..8 9/15 Sue B. (Montpelier, VT/Gulfport, FL)…..12 9/16 Trish W. (Portsmouth, UK)…..5 9/18 George P. (London, England)…..49 9/19 Wendy H. (California)…..41 9/19 John A. (Gainesville, GA)…..14 9/20 Patricia W. (Portsmouth GB, UK)…..5 9/20 Dawn D. (New York, NY)…..16 9/20 Paul T. (Hobe Sound, FL)…..14 9/20 Ted Z. (Gibsonville, NC)…..37 9/23 Bill G.(Woodstock, VT)…..40 9/23 David A. (NYC)…..24 9/24 Katie S. (East Hampton, NY…..25 9/24 Julia O. (Westhampton Beach, NY)…..7 9/27 Karen R. (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)…..3 9/28 Stephanie M. (Fern Park, FL)…..1   0770 Total Years of Sobriety       Drop a Buck in the Basket? PayPal paypal.me/TomMurphy Venmo @Tom-Murphy-160

12&12  Step Nine - "Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others." Most of us begin making certain kinds of direct amends from the day we join Alcoholics Anonymous. The moment we tell our families that we are really going to try the program, the process has begun. In this area there are seldom any questions of timing or caution. We want to come in the door shouting the good news. After coming from our first meeting, or perhaps after we have finished reading the book "Alcoholics Anonymous," we usually want to sit down with some member of the family and readily admit the damage we have done by our drinking. Almost always we want to go further and admit other defects that have made us hard to live with. This will be a very different occasion, and in sharp contrast with those hangover mornings when we alternated between reviling ourselves and blaming the family (and everyone else) for our troubles. At this first sitting, it is necessary only that we make a general admission of our defects. It may be unwise at this stage to rehash certain harrowing episodes. Good judgment will suggest that we ought to take our time. While we may be quite willing to reveal the very worst, we must be sure to remember that we cannot buy our own peace of mind at the expense of others. pp. 83-84

Twenty-Four Hours   A.A. Thought For The Day "We must be careful never to show intolerance or hatred of drinking as an institution. Experience shows that such an attitude is no help to anyone. We are not fanatics or intolerant of people who can drink normally. Every prospect is relieved when he finds we are not witch burners. Temperate drinking is O.K., but we alcoholics can't get away with it. And no alcoholic likes to be told about alcohol by anyone who hates it. We shall be of little use if our attitude is one of bitterness or hostility." Do I have a tolerance for those who can drink normally? Meditation For The Day Do not become encumbered by petty annoyances. Never respond to emotional upsets by emotional upset. Try to keep calm in all circumstances. Try not to fight back. Call on the grace of God when you feel like retaliating. Look to God for the inner strength to drop these resentments that drag you down. If you are burdened by annoyances, you will lose your inward peace and the spirit of God will be shut out. Try to keep peaceful within. Prayer For The Day I pray that I may do the things that make for peace. I pray that I may have a mission of conciliation.

Daily Thought ^*^*^*^*^ (\    ~~    /) (     \(AA)/     ) (_ /AA\ _) /AA\ ^*^*^*^*^ Obedience "We of A.A. obey spiritual principles, at first because we must, then because we ought to, and ultimately because we love the kind of life such obedience brings. Great suffering and great love are A.A.'s disciplinarians; we need no others." 1967 AAWS, As Bill Sees It, p. 27 Thought to Consider . . . The spiritual approach to recovery is not about relinquishing responsibility for our lives to some Cosmic Butler.   *~*AACRONYMS*~* H A L T Hope, Acceptance, Love, Tolerance

DAILY REFLECTIONS   RECONSTRUCTION Yes, there is a long period of reconstruction ahead . . . ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 83   The reconstruction of my life is the prime goal in my recovery as I avoid taking that first drink, one day at a time. The task is most successfully accomplished by working the Steps of our Fellowship. The spiritual life is not a theory; it works, but I have to live it. Step Two started me on my journey to develop a spiritual life; Step Nine allows me to move into the final phase of the initial Steps which taught me how to live a spiritual life. Without the guidance and strength of a Higher Power, it would be impossible to proceed through the various stages of reconstruction. I realize that God works for me and through me. Proof comes to me when I realize that God did for me what I could not do for myself, by removing that gnawing compulsion to drink. I must continue daily to seek God's guidance. He grants me a daily reprieve and will provide the power I need for reconstruction.

Pot Luck     Touchstones Meditations For Men     It’s hard for me to keep my emotions inside. I want to express them now. That’s what a team is all about. —Earvin “Magic” Johnson   We become part of a team in this program. That’s why all the Steps are written with the word we rather than I. We cannot fully surrender to renewal simply by reading about it, hearing about it, or thinking about it. We become participants, members, and peers. We go to meetings and express the details of our lives, and we learn from the stories of others. In our relationships we learn to let our emotions out.     When we say, “He’s hard to get to know,” we are talking about someone who doesn’t show feelings. Team members express their feelings to build a bond between themselves and gain a familiarity with each other. A man may say, “I’m the sort of guy who doesn’t do well in groups,” or “I’m not the type to express my feelings.” But for the sake of recovery, we must endure the awkwardness of learning new things. On this recovery team it is all right to come just the way we are, awkwardness and all.     Today, I will not hold back my emotions. I will let people know me.

**NEW** Excellent Resource Blogs, Audio and Video Articles   https://takethe12.org/   *****   "AA Recovery Interviews" Podcast https://aarecoveryinterviews.com   Blog http://todaysreprieve.blogspot.com/     Wee Willie’s Sobriety First Media AA CD’s Literature and tapes https://www.mediafire.com/sobrietyfirst     AA Membership Survey 2022 Alcoholics Anonymous 2022 Membership Survey | Alcoholics Anonymous     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       DR. PAUL O. There is More to Quitting Drinking Than Quitting Drinking (Audio Book) Introduction http://bit.ly/1IlFBbp Part I http://bit.ly/1MPV5Za Part II http://bit.ly/1Ksd9eA Part III http://bit.ly/1GQCGGE Part IV http://bit.ly/1Ip0hn8 AA CDs Literature and tapes https://www.mediafire.com/sobrietyfirst       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   BIG BOOK for DUMMIES https://bigbookfordummies.com/       *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       MEDITATIONS http://www.11thstepmeditation.org/   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       MOOJI GUIDED Meditation http://bit.ly/2Ogwe9v     **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/     Recovery Speakers http://recoveryspeakers.com/   Miscellaneous Sources Living Life Fully http://www.livinglifefully.com/     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/   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/     Prayables http://prayables.org/     Daily Thought http://groups.google.com/group/TransitionsDaily   Speaker Recordings Stories of Recovery - A 12-Step Collection https://storiesofrecovery.org/index.html