Your Daily Reprieve 12.01.25

 

Your Daily Reprieve for Monday December 1, 2025   From Waynesville, NC

"It's that wonderful old-fashioned idea that others come first and you come second. This was the whole ethic by which I was brought up. Others matter more than you do, so 'don't fuss, dear; get on with it'." Audrey Hepburn   Many of us bear good fruit, yet it may still be sharp or unripe, good, but not yet gracious, sincere, but not yet sweet. ~B. Simpson     The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. ~Mahatma Gandhi   Barn’s burnt down—now I can see the moon. ~Masahide

Big Book Quote     If you are as seriously alcoholic as we were, we believe there is no middle-of-the-road solution. We were in a position where life was becoming impossible, and if we had passed into the region from which there is no return through human aid, we had but two alternatives: One was to go on to the bitter end, blotting out the consciousness of our intolerable situation as best we could; and the other, to accept spiritual help.   P25

Daily Share!     AA Speaker of the Day   BOB D. Las Vegas, NV Serenity Improvement Group 06.02.2020   https://bit.ly/4ilPMXI

Celebrate Your Anniversary Here SHOW NEWCOMERS HOW IT WORKS!!   DECEMBER 2025 Miracles   12/1 Beth S. (Conway, NH)…..30 12/1 Arsenia R. (Coral Gables, FL)…..23 12/1 Nina A. (Bradenton, FL)…..18 12/3 Brooks F. …..1 12/3 Walter S. (Jacksonville, FL)…..32 12/3 Cindy S. (Leesburg, FL)…..12 12/4 Lisa B. (Trenton, MI)…..30 12/4 John Q. (Rochester, NY)…..44 12/5 David E. (Costa Rica)…..18 12/6 Wylie H. …..10 12/6 Sissy V. (Kingsland, GA)…..14 12/7 Mike B. …..40 12/7 Stephen S. (Chang Mai, Thailand)…..36 12/10 Amanda T. (Vancouver, BC)…..6 12/10 Kim B. (Patrick Space Force Base)…..1 12/12 Shannon K. (Marshall, NC)…..27 12/13 Wendell M. (Bothell, WA)…..12 12/13 Lou H. (Clermont, FL)…..2 12/14 Bob P. (Carolina, RI/Cullman, AL)…..35 12/16 Susie U. (Starkville, MS)…..6 12/17 Peter W. …..1 12/18 Chris V. (Royal Oak, MI)…..18 12/21 Deb S. (North Hampton, NH)…..35 12/21 Oakie O. (Ocean Gate, NJ)…..46 12/25 Joe D. (Lawrence, MA)…..14 12/26 Koko S. (Anderson SC)…..1 12/26 Chick R. (Oak Forest, IL)…..28 12/27 Neil R. (Queens, NY)…..11 12/28 Julie V. …..12 12/29 Diana S. …..39 12/30 Rufus W. (Coppell, TX)…..52   0653 Total Years of Sobriety       Drop a Buck in the Basket? PayPal paypal.me/TomMurphy Venmo @Tom-Murphy-160

12&12   Step Twelve - "Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs." Upon entering A.A., these attitudes were sharply reversed, often going much too far in the opposite direction. The spectacle of years of waste threw us into panic. There simply wouldn't be time, we thought, to rebuild our shattered fortunes. How could we ever take care of those awful debts, possess a decent home, educate the kids, and set something by for old age? Financial importance was no longer our principal aim; we now clamored for material security. Even when we were well reestablished in our business, these terrible fears often continued to haunt us. This made us misers and penny pinchers all over again. Complete financial security we must have--or else. We forgot that most alcoholics in A.A. have an earning power considerably above average; we forgot the immense goodwill of our brother A.A.'s who were only too eager to help us to better jobs when we deserved them; we forgot the actual or potential financial insecurity of every human being in the world. And, worst of all, we forgot God. In money matters we had faith only in ourselves, and not too much of that. pp. 120-121

Twenty-Four Hours                        A.A. Thought For The Day The thoughts that come before having a slip are often largely subconscious. It is a question whether or not our subconscious minds ever become entirely free from alcoholic thoughts as long as we live. For instance, some of us dream about being drunk when we are asleep, even after several years of sobriety in A.A. During the period of our drinking days, our subconscious minds have been thoroughly conditioned by our alcoholic way of thinking and it is doubtful that they ever become entirely free of such thoughts during our lifetime. But when our conscious minds are fully conditioned against drinking, we can stay sober and our subconscious minds do not often bother us. Am I still conditioning my conscious mind? Meditation For The Day Having sympathy and compassion for all who are in temptation, a condition which we are sometimes in, we have a responsibility towards them. Sympathy always includes responsibility. Pity is useless because it does not have a remedy for the need. But wherever our sympathy goes, our responsibility goes too. When we are moved with compassion, we should go to the one in need and bind up his wounds as best we can. Prayer For The Day I pray that I may have sympathy for those in temptation. I pray that I may have compassion for others' trials.

Daily Thought ^*^*^*^*^ (\    ~~    /) (     \(AA)/     ) (_ /AA\ _) /AA\ ^*^*^*^*^ Booby Traps "We must avoid quick-tempered criticism and furious, power-driven argument. The same goes for sulking and silent scorn. These are emotional booby traps baited with pride and vengefulness. Our first job is to sidestep the traps. When we are tempted by the bait, we should train ourselves to step back and think. For we can neither think nor act to good purpose until the habit of self-restraint has become automatic." c.1952 AAWS Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 91 Thought to Consider . . .  Nothing pays off like restraint of tongue and pen. *~*AACRONYMS*~* B A T H Behavior, Attitude, Thinking, Habits

DAILY REFLECTIONS   "SUGGESTED" STEPS Our Twelfth Step also says that as a result of practicing all the Steps, we have each found something called a spiritual awakening. . . . A. A.'s manner of making ready to receive this gift lies in the practice of the Twelve Steps in our program." TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, pp. 106-07   I remember my sponsor's answer when I told him that the Steps were "suggested." He replied that they are "suggested" in the same way that, if you were to jump out of an airplane with a parachute, it is "suggested" that you pull the ripcord to save your life. He pointed out that it was "suggested" I practice the Twelve Steps, if I wanted to save my life. So I try to remember daily that I have a whole program of recovery based on all Twelve of the "suggested" Steps.

POT LUCK   "Become willing."     I wanted a lot of things before recovery, but I wasn’t willing to do much to get them. Instead, I had an inflated opinion of myself and what I thought I deserved. When I started a new job, within a couple of weeks I thought I knew enough to be running the company. In school, I felt I should be teaching the class, not taking notes. And in most social situations, I was better than and knew more than you. To say I was difficult to be around is putting it mildly.   When I started attending meetings, I felt I should have been given an award for staying sober for a week. When I read the Twelve Steps, I didn’t think Step Four really applied to me, and Step Nine was out of the question. My new sponsor suggested I stay focused on the First Step. When I started whining about following direction, he asked me if I could become willing. In those situations where I couldn’t, he recommended I pray for the willingness to become willing.   It took many years to shed my sense of entitlement, but now I’ve gained an important tool: willingness. Today, I know that if I want something—a more fulfilling career, more serene relationships, and a more spiritual perspective on my life—then I can have them as long as I become willing to put in the time and effort to work toward them. And even today, if I balk at what it might take, I can still pray for the willingness to become willing.

**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