DAILY GRATITUDE - AN ACTION WORD

[MajestyJo]

Have been a little short in the gratitude department. I am grateful that I got to watch tennis. I am grateful for the little things in life.

I am grateful that my son is moving his stuff out of my apartment and moving in with his friend. Not so grateful that they are both active addict, but best they be together, instead of him expecting me to play mom.

Grateful for the sleep I got. Grateful that I can go back to bed and sleep some more.

Grateful that the site is up and a special thanks to bluidkiti and yukonm, for all they have done to get the site up and running. I am not much of a techie, even if I know how to cut and paste.

Grateful for each of you who share this journey with me.

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[MajestyJo]

Grateful for another day. The final day of my 21st year and the beginning of my 22nd year of sobriety.
Grateful for the sunshine.
Grateful for a new day, hope to make it to my Al-Anon meeting at noon, may just go if Housing isn't too late. I still don't do waiting well, grateful it isn't like it use to be, but when I want to do, I still want to do it when I want to do it. :(
Grateful for the library, have book to take back and it is one of my favourite places to go.
Grateful for all of you. Thanks for being a part of my journey.
The hummingbird means joy. You bring joy to my life.

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/mammals-mice-7/0071.gif

[MajestyJo]

Grateful for another day.
Grateful yesterday is finished and I have a head start on a new day.
Grateful for my Higher Power, found myself saying, `Let go and let God` many time during the course of the day along with the Serenity Prayer.
Grateful that I can`t wear out that prayer, it has worked for me for 22 years.
Grateful that I have freedom of choice. Even though I had a nap which lasted 5 hours, I can choose to go back to bed.
Grateful for you who share this journey with me. My life is enriched as a result of you being in it.

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/phone-240x320-roses/0097.gif

[MajestyJo]

Grateful that I am sober.
A little lacking in gratitude as far as my health is concerned, I just try to find acceptance in today.
Grateful that tennis is on. I don't need as much concentration to watch it, as be on the computer or read.
Grateful I have this site to come to when I am in so much pain I can't sleep. I mentioned crying on another post, that is how I have felt all night.
Grateful we are getting the much needed rain, not grateful for my body's reaction to it.
Grateful for all of you who walk this journey with me.

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/insects-butterflies/0169.gif

[MajestyJo]

Grateful, just trying to stay in the day and take what comes.
Grateful for the program, it gives me the tools I need each day.
Grateful that I was able to connect with a couple of friends. They came to mind, and I picked up the phone.
Grateful that I have food in the house. Not so grateful that I don't have the energy to cook it. It is an effort to just make a sandwich and eat it. The bacon doesn't cook itself. I love peameal bacon, but just not able to prepare it tonight.
Grateful that I have learned that sometimes to just say a prayer, rather than to have personal contact and they can be very draining.
Grateful for all of you who travel this journey with me. Sorry that I haven't been able to keep posts up to date.

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[Paul G.]

Bless you for sharing MajestyJo!

[MajestyJo]

You can't get too much gratitude. Always grateful for the little things that turn out to be big things. Always need to remember where they come from.

“For the meaning of life differs from man to man,
from day to day and from hour to hour.
What matters, therefore,
is not the meaning of life in general
but rather the specific meaning
of a person's life at a given moment.”
Viktor E. Frankl

“Let your life mean something.
Become an inspiration to others
so that they may try to do more
and to become more than they are today.”
Thomas D. Willhite

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/insects-butterflies/0285.gif

[MajestyJo]

Dr. Bob`s Prescription for a miracle.

http://www.silkworth.net/images/prescription.jpg

So grateful for Dr. Bob and Bill W.

[MajestyJo]

Grateful for a new day.
Grateful that all I have to do is live these 24 hours. I have only 20.72 hours to go.
Grateful that my God is here with me and I can feel His presence.
Grateful for the good things and the not so good things in my life.
Grateful for those who walk this journey with me.

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[MajestyJo]

Grateful for another day.
Grateful that even when my nights and days get turned around, my program is still applicable, maybe even more so. ;)
Grateful that I didn't pick up, even though the last few days have been less than desireable.
Grateful that I could put each day into the Hands of my God. I know He will see me through, not matter what the day brings.
Grateful that I can recognize where I am in today, and know when it is time to go back to basics, if things are in a space that feels right.
Grateful I am seeing my doctor, we have a lot to talk about.
Grateful that today just is, no matter what comes my way, the alternative isn't a solution. No problem with my God choosing to take me home, but going back to that old way is not an option.
Grateful that even though I am having a hurting day, I don't have to use, unless coming to the site and posting is using. Something to get me out of Self.
Grateful that I can come and receive the spiritual food I need and the new perspective on my emotional and mental state.
Grateful for those who walk this journey with me.

http://www.angelwinks.net/images/huggers/huggers9.jpg

[Paul G.]

Grateful for the knowledge that when i am experiencing "contrast" in life, it does not mean i have done anything wrong; no need to beat up on myself.

[MajestyJo]

Thanks for sharing Paul, I needed the reminder this morning. I know I am not suppose to beat up on myself, but there are days, when I can't do what I want to do, I can still go there. The difference in today, is I can become aware of what I am doing, and make an amend to myself, and change.

Then I have to make an amend to those who I took out my anger on and projected my stuff onto them.

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[MajestyJo]

"I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder."
- - Gilbert Keith Chesterton


Have found that there is always something to be grateful for, in any given situation if I look for it. As my sponsor said many years ago, "A grateful alcohlic/addict will never have a reason to pick up."

My God never ceases to make me wonder at His Greatness.

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[MajestyJo]

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Love this, it affirms what I believe in. No one is all bad or all good. I may do a bad thing, but that doesn't make me a bad person. I may be good, but that doesn't mean I don't have bad thoughts. It is a good day when the thoughts don't get acted out.

Was sharing with a new found friend today, and we agreeded that it was a one day at a time thing and dealing with life as it comes. It isn't about what happens, it is about how I handle it that makes the difference.

Through my God, all things are possible. I am grateful that I don't have to handle things on my own. He doesn't do it for me, but utilizes people, places, and things to show me a better way of life.

His Guidance is there, His Words are spoken, His Gifts are available, all I have to do is reach out and say thank you.

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[MajestyJo]

“Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.”
― Thích Nhất Hạnh, Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Lif

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“Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.”
― Marcel Proust

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[MajestyJo]

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[MajestyJo]

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[MajestyJo]

http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh59/candice_keele/destiny.jpg

[MajestyJo]

Jealousy and envy – Wanting what others have, feeling we don’t have enough or deserve more, wishing we had what others do instead of them. This applies to material possessions like houses, cars, money and such. It also applies to non-material things like relationships, a nice family, children, parents, friends and partners, and fulfilling work relationships. We can envy others their looks and physical appearance, their talents and physical abilities or attributes such as thinness, tallness, sports ability or musical talent. - Realistic Recovery

So many of us have different talents, and God each gave us special gifts. So many times we just our accomplishments as being less than someone else and yet don't realize that that other person couldn't do what you do.

As the old saying goes, "It is always greener on the other side of the fence." We just others as being less than,often to make ourselves feel better, or we put ourselves down, not respecting our own talents and the gifts that we have to offer.

I had a friend who use to say, "I can't do what you do. I can't talk and say things like you do." I use to say to her, "All that means is I have a big mouth and once in a while I can be creative and my humour slips in, even if it sarky at times. I couldn't do what you do. You are so caring and giving. You are very good on a one on one basis, and you help and work in places I can never do. Don't judge you by me, and visa versa. We each have our own God given talents.

We each have a gift to carry. For the most part, my journey is longer because I was in denial about belong here and I used for a good many years. We each had to go through what we went through to get to where we are in today. We each have a story to tell. There is someone out there who need to hear your story.

Jealousy and envy are such petty things. I use to laugh because I would have a difficult time with women in the program. I wasn't looking for a man in my life and they seemed to appear any way. I wasn't out to take there men, and they judged me on their own insecurities. Most of my relationship didn't last because I wasn't willing to give up my sense of self to play the role to make a relationship work. I like being my own person. I took exception to someone who got comfortable in my space without making space for themselves.

I am so grateful for my Higher Power and the gifts that He has given me, and although I am not as accepting of some of them, I am grateful that he thought me worthy of the knowledge He bestowed on me.

[MajestyJo]

This is from a few days ago, and it has been a big problem for me too. Not so much jealousy and envy on my part, but it being projected onto me.

It was funny, because I always thought I was ugly all of my life. My sponsor said, "Go home and look at yourself in the mirror and take a good look at yourself, you are a very attractive woman." So I called her bluff. I said, "Well I guess I am not too bad looking." She said, "Look at all the male friends you have in the program." I said, 'So what, I allow them to be themselves. Most of them call me mother, and they are friends they aren't attracted to me." She said, "B*ll Sh*te! Do you really think they hand around you because you are 'ugly' and it is your pleasant personality they want to be around?" I said, "i don't care, I don't want a boyfriend. I'm no interested in a boyfriend." She said,"That is why they come looking at you, everyone else is chasing them!" LOL After our little conversation, I did happen to notice when I stranger look at me twice when I was walking down the street. I started taking a little more care about how I dressed. I had a think about blue jeans, turtle necks, jackets, boots and a hat. I coloured my hair blonde and started to wear a little more make up and put on the earrings. Today, I seldom put on the make up and my hair is it's natural gray/white curls. I do notice when guys start to whistle or hum in the elevator or as they walk by. It gives me an attitude of gratitude that they still do this for someone who is 69 (now 72). It doesn't always happen, but on those days, that I care about how I look, it generally happens. Most times I can't be bothered, seldom wear earrings and make up. It is just too much bother. That could also be part of the depression I have been fighting.

These were in fact written in 2011 on another site.

Especially glad that I still get attention, it may be ego, so be it. Not going to accept any invitations, and even if it is an insult, it makes me feel good. I am grateful that when someone sees a woman who is pleasant not a used up old woman, because of her addiction.

[gussieblessedby3]

I am thankful that again my husband's slip up on Friday didn't take him completely down and that he was able to pull out of it. I am thankful for my 3 beautiful children and all the joy they bring me. I am thankful for this site that I can have a place to post things that are about working on my program and keeping the focus on living a healthy, loving, and peaceful life. I am thankful for my God who gives me peace in all things even when there are storms all around me he is the rock that I stand on and that nothing can bring it down even though there are many things in this world that try they will always be defeated by my God. He is all powerful and he is my rock!:71:

[MajestyJo]

Thanks for sharing. Sending prayers to you and yours.

God is there for sure. He sends us Guardian Angels, Earth Angels, and good orderly direction to see us through all things. I like to say, "God is near, look for Him." If you stop looking each day, you might come up against something that keeps us stuck and we forget that He is only an arm's length away. So is that drink, so it is up to us as to which we choose. He makes Himself known in many forms, it is up to me to recognize His Handy Work and give thanks.

http://angelwinks.net/images/generalpod/generalpod1099.jpg

[MajestyJo]

Was thinking I should change the head from Daily to "Whenever JoAnne thinks of it."

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[MajestyJo]

Have been sharing with my spiritual adviser about animals, birds and nature and how they have a tale to tell.

She went with her husband to where he flies small planes and she decided to walk in for the exercise and the view. She listed several items she saw along the way, but one that has stuck in my mind, and fits here because she chose to take action and walk.

The Blackbird was one she said, and this is what I found on it.

http://funkman.org/animal/bird/blackbird.html

She didn't saw which kind of bird, she just said, she saw a black bird.

It could have been a crow, and probably was.

http://www.spiritanimal.info/crow-spirit-animal/

It could have been a Raven.

http://www.shamanicjourney.com/article/6233/raven-power-animal-master-magician-keeper-of-secrets

From my regular site:

http://www.whats-your-sign.com/raven-symbolism.html

When I used Jamie Sams Animal Medicine Cards, the Crow came up as my guardian of my south on the Medicine Wheel. It is one of my Totem Animals and means Law. All my life was laws and I was so glad to hear that spiritual law transcends physical law.

http://www.whats-your-sign.com/crow-symbolism.html

[MajestyJo]

Many people debate, many people say the program didn't work for them.

This is a short version of how it worked for me.

For me, this is a "we' program, we can do what I can't do alone, be it my Higher Power, my sponsor, my group, my friends and family.

The I a you say is honest. Recovery has to begin with me. It isn't what others did to me, it is about what I allowed others to do to me. It is about my choices and my decisions that brought me to the place that I am in today. It is my feelings and actions that I am responsible for. It is letting go of what is not mine, so much false guilt, hope and responsibility that i carried for so many years. So many secrets that I wasn't to tell, and most of them were not mine.

It is one day at a time program. It is about me and my recovery. It is about my disease. It is about finding my Higher Power and what He/She means to me. It is about my decision, am I willing to work the program, am I willing to turn my will and life into my God's care, am I willing to work the Steps. Am I willing to take my inventory and not everyone else's. Am I willing to share with my God, myself to find true self-honesty and to another human being. Am I willing to change to defects and shortcoming that have blocked me from my God. Am I willing to make amends, am I willing to follow through on them, and I willing to let them go if they will hurt someone else. Am I willing to work a daily inventory and look at my life and how I live in it today. Do I make that daily contact with my God. Am I willing to build a relationship with Him. Am I willing to align my will with His. Am I willing to work with others. Am I willing to get out of self, and the great I am, to help someone who comes behind me like the people before me took the time to help me on my journey.

Peace on your journey. May you ever walk in peace and with a heart of gratitude for what you have been given.

Something I posted in 2011

Love the fact that the story never grows old, at least not for me.

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[MajestyJo]

Pocket Sponsor - Book - Quote

Grateful addicts don't drink and drug and drinking and drugging addicts aren't grateful.

My gratitude is not the word but my desire to say the word. My desire to say the word is a corner stone of my recovery.

It is always nice to hear and/or see someone affirm something you believe very strongly about. My sponsor told me in early recovery, a grateful addict will never have a reason to pick up.

Gratitude in my attitude, give me the willingness to work the program and help others. My sponsor also said, "If you put one hand in the hand of a newcomer and the other hand in the hand of your Higher Power, you have no hands left to pick up.

It is always good to be reminded. It is so important to me to give thanks to my God for His many gifts and pay them forward.

I really like the concept, I desire to know my God's will. I am grateful to Him for His many blessings. I am grateful for the lesson learned. I thank Him for each day of recovery. I thank Him for the opportunity to have another day, clean and sober.

Posted in 2012

It is amazing how I can go back and look at an old post I made and think, "I can't believe I wrote that." Sometimes it appears to be an old memory or something I just learned yesterday. It shows me how true it is, that my life is so very much, one day at a time, and for that I am very grateful.

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[MajestyJo]

Many years ago, I was told that it was my primary purpose to carry a message of recovery. To share my experience, strength, and hope with others, and tell what you had found along your life's journey.

Needless to say, my journey wasn't exactly smooth, as I qualified for just about every room of recovery, that man could think of. I was told to make people think. Make them wonder if just maybe, they have what I have too, including fibromyalgia and something I am still investigating, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Haven't really brought this up with my new family doctor, so many other things seemed to be on the plate that were more important. To me, it is just another label like all the other, and the 12 Steps are applicable.

I know that most people don't want to hear what I have to say and I think a lot of people want to discount it, but it has proved true for me, and what I have heard, I have put into action in my life.

As my son told me, "If I had your pain, I would kill myself, I have enough trouble dealing with my own." I am alive today, thanks to the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. Along with AA, has been the healing that I received through the Holistic Center and the prayers of the people in my life.

Prayer is an action Step. Without it, there would be no me.

Thank you all for taking action and sending your prayers.

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[willbe275]

Thank you Majastyjo for sharing that, it is so good to
belong to the no matter what club, and what does
that mean? No matter what I don't pick up. Things do
happen in life. I learned through God's grace and the
rooms of A.A. that I can go through anything without
using alcohol or drugs, what has worked for me these past 26
years of sobriety is, I don't drink, make meeting and talk about how I
feel, doing the step work with a sponsor and working with others
to achieve sobriety one day at a time.

W.O.W.101:87:

[MajestyJo]

Thank you for sharing. The program works if we work for it. Just occupying a chair, only taking the part we like and ignoring the parts that are alien to our beliefs and goes against our comfort zone, makes the program unacceptable; therefore, it doesn't work for some people.

I too need to go to meetings, get a sponsor and do as it was suggested to get clean and sober and STAY clean and sober.

I am so grateful for the people who went before me and showed me the way. I was one of the fortunate ones who had a lot of long-timers put in my path with 20-60 years of sobriety.

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[MajestyJo]

http://angelwinks.net/images/iq/qcmousethanks2.jpg


The world's a whole
lot nicer place
Because of
people like you...
Who give real
joy and pleasure
By the nice things
that they do.

Thanks So Much!

[MajestyJo]

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[MajestyJo]

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Don't just think thank you say it. Don't just say I am grateful, act it.

[MajestyJo]

A grateful alcoholic/addict will never have a reason to pick up!

Just for today, I am grateful that I am clean and sober!

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When I take time for gratitude, I perceive a better world. Today I will appreciate the miracles all around me.

"Even the darkest of moments can be faced with a grateful heart, if not for the crisis itself, at least to the growth it can evoke with the help of our Higher Power."

... In All Our Affairs

This describes my days all too often, one of emotions, processed and lessons learned.

Feeling like it is a new chapter, a new verse, and another new beginning. So many gifts over the years, too many to possibly count.

When I have an attitude of gratitude, I express it by sharing those gifts with others.


How do we put it in the Light? Say, "Father-Mother-God, I ask for the Light to surround me now, and this idea of being of service. You know what I can do. I'll just let it go. It's in your hands."

- John-Roger
(From: "John-Roger on the Spiritual Promise,"

[MajestyJo]

Gratitude is something I shared with a friend tonight. Would you believe the last time I talked to her was about 40 years ago. Her daughter phoned me several months ago, closer to a year ago and I thought I had written her number on an envelope and it gotten thrown out, and I couldn't find it. The daughter's number was a business number and it got deleted from my phone and she had called at a time when I was not well. I told myself to just accept it, it wasn't meant to be.

Today, I was looking for a paper with a password for my computer for John and didn't find it, but I found a notebook with my friend Marilyn's phone number on it. We talked for an hour and a half. We hope to meet for lunch next week. She is a couple of years younger than I am. She informed me has shrunk and is only 4' 9" so we will be like two strangers when we meet, and yet when we started talking, it was like it was yesterday. When my son was born, I left the hospital and went to her place. I had no experience with children, and she had two children. The last time she saw my son he was 8 years old and today he is 48.

So when I got that number, I should have picked up the phone and called instead of thinking of calling later, or just maybe, it was meant to happen today. Nothing happens in God's world by mistake. Today it felt right.

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[india]

so very VERY grateful that I don't have to get up, shake my head "clear" and run down my stairwell, into my garage all the while making bargains with God about never drinking again "if only"....and running into the garage to check the grille on my car to see if there is skin and hair on it, afraid I may have hit and/or killed someone in a blackout. grateful that I awakened on the right side of the snow this morning... and that my husband surprised me with some pumpkin muffins to go with my coffee...that my children are safe, warm and alive in their own homes, and lastly that I am allowed to live yet another day to practice these principles in all my affairs and pray for the alcoholic/addict that still suffers.

[MajestyJo]

Not having a computer would have been a good reason to go out and used, and I had to take a look at my days to see if I had become obsessive compulsive about anything during the weekend and whether I had done anything that I wouldn't normally have done, and whether there was anything that I had to turn over to my God and ask for help on.

The only thing I could find was that I had done a lot of was reading, mainly because there was nothing much good on TV. There was curling and I did watch that. There were some Christmas specials and I watched them and looking forward to the upcoming shows from now until Christmas. I really enjoyed the reruns of Iron Chef America yesterday Iron Chef is why I subscribed to the Food Network many years ago.

I did make peanut butter cookies, so that was a filler but that was a good thing. It was even a better thing because I didn't eat more than 6 when I made them. LOL!!!! They made for a good breakfast this morning too. It has to be close to 3 years since I made cookies if not longer.

Oh, did I mention reading. Since my computer has been down I have read three Preston & Child books (two were re-reads), and an Amanda Quick express book. I have another P & C book to read. They were large print so they don't take long, and re-reads only take half as long. :) Now I am going to take a trip downtown to get some exercise and return them all and hope there aren't any more express books because I have over 15 books still to read. Snow is suppose to be on the way, so need to make sure I am stocked up.

So grateful to have you in our family India. Thank you for sharing. Thank you for your kinds words. I like the closing words in the Big Book on page 164, and may your visions come true for you.

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[Rockinbigdaddy]

t Christmas time, I always want to give and give and give--yet my finances rarely allow me to give as abundantly as I would like. That's okay by me--things are as they are--but sometimes I do like to think about the things that I would give if I could. Interestingly enough, most of the gifts end up not having anything to do with money at all.

If I were able to do so, the first Christmas gift that I would give would be to my students--and to every person on the planet, young and old. I would give them the desire to learn, and the ability to recognize the learning opportunities that come to them each day of their lives. Our lives are rich and full the more we know about life and living. It doesn't need to be academic learning, as life has plenty to know about that has nothing to do with school, but it sure doesn't hurt to have the desire to pick up a book now and then, and to actually do so.

To the leaders of the world, I would give a spirit of service, and the ability to accurately gauge the needs and desires of their constituents, not their parties.

To the teachers of the world, I would give them the gift of lower levels of stress brought on by the unrealistic expectations of administrators, politicians, and parents, most of whom know nothing of the dynamics of the classroom, but who insist on trying to control elements of the classroom.

To people who have experienced great loss, I would give the gift of acceptance of the situation. Acceptance doesn't try to change anything, but it's really the only element of our lives that allows us to move on with peace in our minds and hearts.

To the parents of the world, I would give the ability to share time with their children, an element of life that grows less and less common in our world with each day.

To our country's economy, I would give the gift of no more lotteries or casinos or other ways to squander money that could be going towards our communities, but that is instead going to create huge profits for very few people.

To the lonely and dispossessed of the world, I would give the gift of friendship, as well as the gift of being able to be a friend, with love and acceptance as the major elements of any friendship that they may have.

To all I would give the gift of peace--peace of mind and of heart, a peace that does pass understanding, as true peace has no need to be understood, but just experienced and enjoyed and cultivated and loved.

To the people who work extremely hard for minimum wage, I would give a raise to a livable wage, along with health benefits to take much of the stress out of their lives, the stress of worrying about what might happen in the future.

To the young people of the world today, I would give them the gift of attention from their elders--complete and unconditional attention, with no Internet or cell phones involved at all.

Also to the young people, I'd give them the gift of bicycles and basketballs, and not the gift of another electronic device that will keep them from experiencing the world around them while they sit indoors staring at a screen.

And during this holiday season, I would like to give everyone the gift of a simple smile, of encouragement, of a compliment now and then. And I think that I will do so, as much as I can, when I can and where I can. This is a gift that is completely free for me to give, and one that can have long-reaching effects in very positive ways. And as long as I have the ability to give such a gift available to me at absolutely no cost, what's keeping me from sharing it?

[MajestyJo]

Thank you Life. We take so much for granted. Really like the concept of this.

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[MajestyJo]

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HOW MUCH WOULD WE BE MISSING IN OUR LIFE?

[MajestyJo]

Thanksgiving in Hard Times


We are moving toward our Nation's "Thanksgiving Day."
We are Americans by birth and by adoption . . . by citizenship and by gift of place . . .

And, at the same time, we are the people of the earth,
people whose lives are blessed with love and hope
as well as those whose days are shadowed by darkness and despair.

We are young and old, skin of black and brown and yellow and red and no color worth mentioning.
Our languages are English and Spanish and Arabic . . .
Russian and Urdu and Swahili and Farsi and Sign . . .

We are women and men . . . boys and girls . . . hearing and deaf . . . sighted and blind . . . We are gay and straight and transsexual and those for whom sexual
identity is a faint memory . . . We are lovers of pets and children and ourselves, and we are humans
whose store of love is hard to find.

We are celebrators and grievers, runners and hikers and complex weavers of life. We are artists and poets and writers and dancers, and we are those whose creativity is blocked or exhausted . . .

And, with people north and south, west and east,
we are all saying "thank you" We are recalling reasons to be grateful because to do otherwise would surrender to life's pain.

We are gardeners and teachers and library keepers . . .
We are parents and children, brothers and sisters, cousins and aunts and uncles too . . . We are widows and newlyweds . . . lovers and alone . . . We are office workers and health care providers . . . We are creators who love what we do and employees who long to set our mundane jobs aside . . . We are those for whom productive life is just beginning and those whose
memories are mixed up inside .

And we, with people around the world, we are saying "thank you" because gratitude is what WE need most this day. We are doves setting forth from the humanity's fragile ark in search of peace. We are bears longing to hibernate and make the world go away.
We are pacifists and soldiers, Democrats and Republicans . . . Theists and pagans, Buddhists and Christians, humanists and atheists and a whole bunch of us who are spiritually confused.

We are gathered here in the hope of Thanksgiving.
We are gathered in the gratitude of Grace.

May the Spirit of Life and Healing be with us all this day . . .

Comforting all for whom this season is one of loss and pain . . . Honoring those who step forward to protect, or rescue, or serve in their country's name .

Tickling those who need reminders that, even in the midst of tragedy and confusion,

There will be bubbles of joy and those are okay.

May we believe always that Life does hold blessings for each one of us to take, At all times, in all ways, may "thank you" be the language of our days.

An old post from another site made on Nov. 4 2004

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[MajestyJo]

Gratitude is an action word, and we do have freedom of choice.

[ljportelli]

Mornin' Majesty!

Wow, yes!! It's a huge action word. I love how gratitude works on and in us. It's the God of my own understanding helping keep my heart soft and supple. Gratitude informs my recovery. Now, I haven't really ever thought of gratitude in an action context. It's super intriguing, and I'll be taking it up in my meditations.

Today I am so very thankful for every single one of my senses, for they give me full access to all that is. I get to plug into eternity . That is so far out! I get to live in a 3-D & HD environment 24/7.

I get to see everything around me down to the most infinitesimally small detail. So many times when I'm rushed, I miss all of that, and it makes me sad. I try to take time every day to take a few minutes and appreciate the joy my vision affords me.

I get to taste every single thing I eat and extract the last bit of flavour. And I get to enjoy the sense of satisfaction that comes from a full belly. When I consider all of the poverty around the world, I have so much to be grateful for. I'm a foody, and really - I mean really - get into eating. My family teases me relentlessly about it.

I can feel! Ohmygosh! What would I do without the sense of touch ? I'm human. I crave touch. It's a basic need. It tames me.

Hearing ! Glorious hearing! Bird song, kids Laughing, jets taking off, people singing acapella music, the wind blowing. And multitudes more.

Smell - fresh baked bread, Himalayan coffee, steak of the grill, gardenias, fresh strawberries, pot of chilli, aftershave. :)

And then - the 6th sense - Intuition. The Spirit of God . This is one of many direct connections with my UP. It's one of the main ways we work together, and it's a cosmic experience! There is NO mistake when my HP comes through in this way. It's a total rush, for it gives me more proof of my higher power's existence.

Gotta wrap up. THANK YOU so much for this comprehensive site where we can come for rich and delicious spiritual sustainance! NOM NOM

[lcount]

Thank you for your post. Many of us have a daily struggle with health and disability of one type or another. So often this is not talked about in my meetings; perhaps it is seen as not directly related to alcoholism, perhaps even whining. But it had everything in the world to do with my using. I came home from work in raging pain and the bottle seemed to ease it and to help me get to sleep at night. But then one day it turned on me; it did not work any longer.

Thank you for your post. It helps to know that others are succeeding in staying sober with things we used to medicate, just to make it through another day or night. And now there are alternatives. I am grateful for people like you who post just what I need to hear. You are truly a conduit of God's message!:42:

[lcount]

Ooops, my reply went to the wrong post. It was the one about being thankful for the dr., having a lot to talk about, etc. Love, LCount

[MajestyJo]

Thank you both for sharing. I have found that when we acknowledge things, the process of change begins. The 5 As of Change: Aware, Admit, Acceptance, Attitude and Action. Sometimes I have to take action to change my attitude.


-Your attitude decides whether you are happy or not. You can change your attitude.

-Happiness is a state of mind. More correctly put, it is the state beyond the mind.

-It is our attitude that makes us feel happy or unhappy.

-Your thoughts and worries hide away your happiness.

-If you smile while you talk, you make people happy.

-A calm and detached mind is the gate to true happiness.

-Happiness is experienced after a problem has been solved, a fear has disappeared or after realizing a desire. At this moment the mind is released from it fears, worries and desires and becomes quiet, letting the happiness emerge.

-Look at the happy side of life, and you will develop the happiness habit.

-Learn to laugh. This will make you feel better.

-Focusing your mind on everything that you, do increases your control over your mind, which makes it easier for the inner joy to manifest.

-Your inner nature is bliss and joy. Clean your mind and you will find this treaure within you.

-When you wake up from deep sleep you feel happy. This is because the mind was quiet. If you are able to make your mind quiet in your waking hours you will experience happiness.

received with thanks from Inspiration Plus

[olyandstreak]

Grateful for my program and starting step 4. Grateful for my awesome home. Frateful for kitty.
Grateful for monday, sundays over.....
Grateful for service, it's vital!

[B123@me]

....for a Sunday morning mtg and have friends there who accept me for who I am and I do likewise to others. When I share at the table I share to relate, experience, strength and hope, and be mindful that I am sharing a part of me but doing so in a way that does not diminish what another believes. My gratitude is an action word by practicing love and tolerance. And lastly, I show gratitude for the Daily Recovery Readings by reading almost every morning!

[B123@me]

1. Employment
2. Clarity
3. Luna, my cat.
4. Sunshine
5. My ankle replacement healing and being able to walk again.
6. Medicaid
7. Relationship with my sons.
8. Daily Recovery Readings
9. HP
10. Friends in recovery.:17:

[MajestyJo]

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In NA Just for today it says: "For meditation to be of value, the results must show in our daily lives."

Basic Text, p. 47

This hit home with me and stuck with me, so I thoughr I would share it with you. The rest may be found in the Daily Refllection for May 12.

[dwmoeller]

Grateful to be alive and sober today. :D

grateful for a cup of coffee. :11:

Grateful for the sunshine. :69:

[MajestyJo]

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[1dayatatime06]

Grateful to be sober.

[1dayatatime06]

Grateful for the Internet. I don't usually say that, however,it's been a lifeline for me over the past 4 months. I'm struggling and can't get through this alone. I don't get out often and when I do,it's a structured environment. Sometimes I have to be me. I find like minded people when I ask God to direct my fingers. To God be the glory.

[Pmcoco]

I am Grateful for the common bond we share that is evident in the actions of my Brothers in recovery selflessly are there for one another no matter what the need, Time or place. :)

[MajestyJo]

Welcome Pmcoco, thanks for sharing. I hope yo will continue to come and share your journey with us.

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[1dayatatime06]

I am grateful for the women in the program. I pray I may be a guiding light for all I come in contact with, Amen.

[cintexas]

I am grateful for another day on this earth, good health so far, the steps, the program, my sponsor and my sobriety. And now, tearfully (which tells me my humility 'switch' is at the right setting) I am humbled and grateful to be accepted into this help/support forum.

Thank you all.:195:

[susan32207@icloud.com]

My name is Sue and this is my first post. I am so thankful for this website. I had 13 years sober and relapsed. Ever since I found this website, I read it every morning and throughout the day. I am back on track and so thankful. God is good!

[BruceL]

I love this AA program and have for many years.
One thing that I read in the morning readings, "I'd never trade my worst day sober for my best day drunk."
I sure dislike this saying. If I read it while shaking through detox I would have remembered my good days drunk and I had lots. That last 10 years sucked.
If asked then I would have traded.
Today nothing beats my sobriety as long as I get off my lazy ass and pass it on. Give it away!

[FayeBe]

:):)Have been a little short in the gratitude department. I am grateful that I got to watch tennis. I am grateful for the little things in life.

I am grateful that my son is moving his stuff out of my apartment and moving in with his friend. Not so grateful that they are both active addict, but best they be together, instead of him expecting me to play mom.

Grateful for the sleep I got. Grateful that I can go back to bed and sleep some more.

Grateful that the site is up and a special thanks to bluidkiti and yukonm, for all they have done to get the site up and running. I am not much of a techie, even if I know how to cut and paste.

Grateful for each of you who share this journey with me.

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[Rockinbigdaddy]

Taking time to seek God's guidance helps us respond with wisdom.

[BW1]

So very grateful my sister is moving forward and not giving in to defeat with the cancer scare

[Lin]

I stopped in to check on BW. Really glad to hear her sister is getting better! Still praying BW!

LIN