MIXED BAGGAGE

[MajestyJo]

Received this from a friend in Texas:

Sometimes I think, Sometimes I don't.

Maybe this world is another planets hell.

The only reason people get lost in thought is because it's unfamiliar territory.

It is my observation that too many people are spending money that they haven't earned to buy things they don't need to impress people they don't like.

How much can I get away with and still go to heaven?

If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?

If the product says "Do not use if seal is broken", how are you supposed to open it and use it?

Women won't be equal to men until they can walk down the street
with a bald head and a beer gut, and still think they are sexy.
When lightning strikes the ocean why don't all the fish die?

God looks beyond your faults. When will you?

http://xa.yimg.com/kq/groups/11286334/sn/836154965/name/n_a

[MajestyJo]

http://xa.yimg.com/kq/groups/11286334/sn/2051548114/name/n_a

Nature is the Art of God.
--Sir Thomas Browne

My relationship with nature and plants is almost like religion with me.
--Monty Cralley

Trying to pray is praying.
--Anonymous

"Nothing is good or bad but by comparison."

-- Thomas Fuller

[MajestyJo]

A young, new preacher was walking with an older, more seasoned preacher in the garden one day. Feeling a bit insecure about what God had for him to do, he was asking the older preacher for some advice.

The older preacher walked up to a rose bush and handed the young preacher a rosebud and told him to open it without tearing any of the petals. The young preacher looked in disbelief at the older preacher and was trying to figure out what a rosebud could possibly have to do with his wanting to know the will of God for his life and ministry. But, because of his great respect for the older preacher, he proceeded to try to unfold the rosebud while keeping every petal intact . . . It wasn't long before he realized how impossible this was to do.


Noticing the young preacher's inability to unfold the rosebud without tearing it, the older preacher began to recite the following poem:


It is only a tiny rosebud
A flower of God's design;
But I cannot unfold the petals
With these clumsy hands of mine.

The secret of unfolding flowers
Is not known to such as I.
GOD opens this flower so sweetly,
Then, in my hands, they die.

If I cannot unfold a rosebud,
The flower of God's design,
Then how can I have the wisdom
To unfold this life of mine?

So, I'll trust in Him for leading
Each moment of my day.
I will look to Him for His guidance
Each step of the Pilgrim's way.

[MajestyJo]

The following is a list of 110 self-nurturing ideas that have to do with "Esteem Needs." Do at least one of these activities every day.

Psysiological Needs:

Eat breakfast
Take a nap
Break a bad habit, if just for today
Get at least 7 hours sleep
Drink 8 glasses of water today
Eat a healthy snack

Safety Needs:

Repair something in your home
Learn how to protect your health
Wear a seat belt

Belonging and Love Needs:

Call your mother or father
Search out a long-lost friend
Open up to the person closest to you
Pay a compliment
Turn off the TV and talk
Get to know the neighbor's dog or cat
Listen to what you hear
Tell someone you love him or her
Hold a hand
Hug someone
Contact someone you've been thinking about
Admire a child
Get to know the neighbors
Kiss a friend
Tell someone how much you appreciate him or her

Esteem Needs:

Blow up a balloon and turn it loose
Make your own candles
Walk instead of ride
Give yourself a compliment
Read a poem aloud
Look at the stars
Use a new word
Frame a picture
Forget an old grudge
Take yourself to lunch
Go to the library
Try a new food
Listen to the rain on the roof
Feed the ducks
Jump in a pile of leaves
Appreciate trees
Sign up for a class
Study a dew-laden cobweb
Learn something new
Sing in the shower
List ten things you do well
Walk in the rain
Waste a little time
Curl up before an open fire
Buy a ticket to a special event
Return something you've borrowed
Organize some small corner of your life
Pop popcorn
Draw a picture, even if you can't draw
Keep a secret
Enjoy silence
Walk to the nearest park
Go wading
Light a candle and read by candlelight
Pick up some travel brochures and dream
Smell a flower
Clean out your wallet
Take an early morning walk
Look at old photos
Run down a hill
Write a poem
Start a new project
Walk barefoot
Tell a joke
Take a different road to get home
Build a sandcastle
Ask someone for help
Let someone do you a favor
Reread a favorite book
Listen to the dawn
Imagine being your favorite tree
Watch the sun set
Hide a love note where a loved one will find it
Make a surprise gift
Go to a fair
Lie on the grass
Go for a swim
Rearrange a room
Let someone love you
Drop a quarter where someone will find it
Hum
Bake bread

Self-Actualization Needs:

Visit a lonely person or a shut-in
Help a stranger
Be thankful
Take a risk
Do something you've always wanted to do
Say "yes"
Say "no"
Meditate
Throw away something you don't like
Try to feel another person's hurt (or joy)
Practice courage in one small way
Warm a heart
Laugh at yourself
Send a card to someone for no reason
Encourage a young person
Follow an impulse
Put yourself out for someone
Acknowledge when you are wrong
Volunteer some time to a good cause
Give yourself a present
Allow yourself to make a mistake
Allow yourself to make another mistake
Do something hard to do
Don't do something -- sit there
Take time to talk to neighborhood children

Source unknown to me

[MajestyJo]

Hugs to you all.

http://www.angelwinks.net/images/angel55s.jpg

Steps To Happiness

Author Unknown


Everybody Knows:
You can't be all things to all people.
You can't do all things at once.
You can't do all things equally well.
You can't do all things better than everyone else.
Your humanity is showing just like everyone else's.

So:
You have to find out who you are, and be that.
You have to decide what comes first, and do that.
You have to discover your strengths, and use them.
You have to learn not to compete with others,
Because no one else is in the contest of *being you*.

Then:
You will have learned to accept your own uniqueness.
You will have learned to set priorities and make decisions.
You will have learned to live with your limitations.
You will have learned to give yourself the respect that is due.
And you'll be a most vital mortal.

Dare To Believe:
That you are a wonderful, unique person.
That you are a once-in-all-history event.
That it's more than a right, it's your duty, to be who you are.
That life is not a problem to solve, but a gift to cherish.
And you'll be able to stay one up on what used to get you down.

"People will forget what you said
People will forget what you did
But people will never forget how you made them feel"

[MajestyJo]

Happy IVGLDSW Day!

http://www.angelwinks.net/images/angel201.jpg

Today is International Very Good Looking, Darn Smart Woman's Day, so please send this message to someone you think fits this description. Please do not send it back to me as I have already received it from a Very Good Looking, Darn Smart Woman! And remember this motto to live by: Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, wine in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming 'WOO HOO what a ride!'
Have a wonderful day!

To the Girls.

Inside every older person is a younger person -- wondering what the heck happened.
- Cora Harvey Armstrong-

Inside me lives a skinny woman crying to get out. But I can usually shut her up with cookies.
(Unknown)

The hardest years in life are those between ten and seventy.
-Helen Hayes (at 73)-

My second favorite household chore is ironing. My first one being -- hitting my head on the top bunk bed until I faint.
- Erma Bombeck -

Old age ain't no place for sissies ..
-Bette Davis-

Forty is when you finally get your head together and your body starts falling apart.
- Caryn Leschen -

If you can't be a good example -- then you'll just have to be a horrible warning.
-Catherine-

I'm not going to vacuum 'til Sears makes one you can ride on.
- Roseanne Barr-

Behind every successful man is a surprised woman.
- Maryon Pearson-

Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission.
-Eleanor Roosevelt-

When life hands you lemons, ask for tequila and salt and call me over. Make an exception for me, just lemonade please. I have an allergy to alcohol.

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.
- Dr. Seuss

Posted Step 10, 2010 a bit belated, but good any day!

[MajestyJo]

The greatest achievement is selflessness.

The greatest worth is self-mastery.

The greatest quality is seeking to serve others.

The greatest precept is continual awareness.

The greatest medicine is the emptiness of everything.

The greatest action is not conforming with the worlds ways.

The greatest magic is transmuting the passions.

The greatest generosity is non-attachment.

The greatest goodness is a peaceful mind.

The greatest patience is humility.

The greatest effort is not concerned with results.

The greatest meditation is a mind that lets go.

The greatest wisdom is seeing through appearances.

- Atisha

http://www.angelwinks.net/images/angel173.jpg


Think of something that you fear to lose, then ask yourself, 'Were I to lose it, would I be a different person than I am today?' In yourself, be contented. Be whole.

From Do It Now!, by J. Donald Walters


A lot of these I fall short on. I am a firm believer though in what I think and project comes back to me. If I put out negativity, it comes back in kind.

[MajestyJo]

http://www.animatedimages.org/data/media/1534/animated-skunk-image-0011.gif

According to Jamie Sams' Animal Medicine book, the skunk means respect. It means to attract others with your charm, yet repel those who steal your energy.

THE TAO OF POOH!

"Those who have no compassion have no wisdom. Knowledge, yes; cleverness, maybe; wisdom, no. A clever mind is not a heart.Knowledge doesn't really care. Wisdom does."

"When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last, "what's the first thing you say to yourself?"
"What's for breakfast? said Pooh. "What do you say, Piglet?"
"I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet.
Pooh nodded thoughtfully.
"It's the same thing," he said.

"What's that?" the Unbeliever asked.
"Wisdom from the Western Taoist,"I said.
"It sounds like something from Winnie-the-Pooh ," he said.
"It is," I said.
"That's not about Taoism," he said.
"Oh, yes it is," I said."

Through working in harmony with life's circumstances, Taoist understanding changes what others may perceive as negative into something positive.

When you discard arrogance, complexity, and a few other things that get in the way, sooner or later you will discover that simple, childlike, and mysterious secret known to those of the Uncarved Block: Life is Fun.

The wise are not learned; the learned are not wise

A well-frog cannot imagine the ocean, nor can a summer insect conceive of ice. How then can a scholar understand the Tao? He is restricted by his own learning.

"Lots of people talk to animals," said Pooh.
"Not that many listen though."
"That's the problem."

You'd be surprised how many people violate this simple principle every day of their lives and try to fit square pegs into round holes, ignoring the clear reality that Things Are As They Are.

Everything has its own place and function. That applies to people, although many don't seem to realize it, stuck as they are in the wrong job, the wrong marriage, or the wrong house. When you know and respect your Inner Nature, you know where you belong. You also know where you don't belong.

" ... but, no matter how he may seem to others, especially to those fooled by appearances, Pooh, the Uncarved Block, is able to accomplish what he does because he is simpleminded."

" From the state of the Uncarved Block comes the ability to enjoy the simple and the quiet, the natural and the plain. Along with that comes the ability to do things spontaneously and have them work, odd as that may appear to others at times. As Piglet put it in Winnie-the-Pooh, "Pooh hasn't much Brain, but he never comes to any harm. He does silly things and they turn out right."

"Not like Pooh, the most effortless Bear we've ever seen."
"Just How do you do it, Pooh?"
"Do What?" asked Pooh.
"Become so Effortless."
"I don't do much of anything," he said.
"But all those things of yours get done."
"They just sort of happen," he said"

" It's not surprising, therefore, that the Backson thinks of progress in terms of fighting and overcoming. One of his little idiosyncrasies, you might say. Of course real progress involves growing and developing, which involves changing inside, but that's something the inflexible Backson is unwilling to do."

"While Eeyore frets ...
... and Piglet hesitates
... and Rabbit calculates
... and Owl pontificates
...Pooh just is."
"Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind, "Pooh!," he whispered.
"Yes, Piglet?"
"Nothing," said Piglet, taking Pooh's paw. "I just wanted to be sure of you."

"Rabbit's clever," said Pooh thoughtfully.
"Yes,"said Piglet, "Rabbit's clever."
"And he has Brain."
"Yes," said Piglet, "Rabbit has Brain."
There was a long silence.
"I suppose," said Pooh, "that that's why he never understands anything."

One walks alone
yet not alone
One walks with
the beauty of
the sunrise
the happiness of
the morning song of the birds
the silver of a morning dew
and the light of day
One walks alone with the miracle of life....


I identified so much with this as an adult child. For so many years, I didn't see the birds and animals and the joys of living around me. I was so caught up in the "oh woe is me, I am so hard done by" and went through life not seeing the beauty of life.

We are all God's children and loved. Love the line "Pooh just is!" That is how I try to live each day.

[MajestyJo]

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/insects-butterflies/0157.gif

How would you rate your level of "Inner Peace"?
Enough to stay calm in a den of lions?
Enough to get through a good day?
Enough for the next five minutes,
so long as everybody leaves you alone?

You may need a good case of inner peace,
a disease that could leave you stress-free
and contented for years to come.
A chiropractor named Jeff Rockwell
composed a list he calls
"Symptoms of Inner Peace."
You may have already caught this disease!
See how many of these symptoms you exhibit:

1.
A tendency to think and act
spontaneously rather than from
fears based on past experiences.

2.
An unmistakable ability
to enjoy each moment.

3.
A loss of interest in judging self.

4.
A loss of interest in judging others.

5.
A loss of interest in conflict.

6.
A loss of interest in interpreting
the actions of others.

7.
A loss of ability to worry
(this is a serious symptom).

8.
Frequent,
overwhelming episodes of appreciation.

9.
Contented feelings of connectedness
with others and nature.

10.
Frequent attacks of smiling
through the eyes of the heart.

11.
Increasing susceptibility to love
extended by others as well as
the uncontrollable urge to extend it.

12.
An increasing tendency
to let things happen.

Inner peace is a communicable disease
that could possibly infect
your home or workplace.
You may already be showing signs of it
and quite possibly be passing it along to others!
Rockwell warns:
"If you have all or even most
of the above symptoms,
please be advised that your condition
of PEACE may be so far advanced
as to not be treatable."

Have you caught it?

[MajestyJo]

When you consciously invoke growing, you consciously invoke the parts of yourself that are not whole to come into the foreground of your life. With each recurrence of anger, jealousy, or fear, you are given the choice to challenge it, or to give in to it. Each time you challenge it, it loses power and you gain power.

- Gary Zukav

On Oprah, she talked about not giving up your personal power. Just because you are a strong woman, there is no reason to give up a part of yourself for someone else. It is okay to be you. Own your own power. Ironically, she was talking to one of the most powerful woman in the world, Serena Williams.

For so many years, I gave away my personal power. I did not know I had a choice.

Each time I am faced with an old scenario, I am given the choice in recovery as to whether I am going to let it continue to play out in my life or am I going to step up to the plate and challenge it and do what I can do to heal and change things.

When I surrender, I am empowered to do what I need to do for myself. I no longer have to give those old patterns and behaviors the power to rule my life.

Just for today, I take back my power. I am worthy of a new life and a new sense of well being and peace.

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/kids-animals/0041.gif

When I surrender, I am empowered to do what I need to do today for my sobriety.

[MajestyJo]

http://angelwinks.net/images/nostalgicpod/nostalgicpod77.jpg

If you plant honesty, You will reap trust
If you plant goodness, You will reap friends
If you plant humility, You will reap greatness
If you plant perseverance, You will reap victory
If you plant consideration, You will reap harmony
If you plant hard work, You will reap success
If you plant forgiveness, You will reap reconciliation

If you plant openness, You will reap intimacy
If you plant patience, You will reap improvements
If you plant faith, You will reap miracles

But If you plant dishonesty, You will reap distrust.
If you plant selfishness, You will reap loneliness
If you plant pride, You will reap destruction
If you plant envy, You will reap trouble
If you plant laziness, You will reap stagnation.
If you plant bitterness, You will reap isolation
If you plant greed, You will reap loss
If you plant gossip, You will reap enemies
If you plant worries, You will reap wrinkles
If you plant sin, You will reap guilt.

Source Unknown

[MajestyJo]

God and the Spider

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/phone-240x320-animals/0028.gif

During World War II,
a US marine was separated from his unit
on a Pacific island.
The fighting had been intense,
and in the smoke and the crossfire
he had lost touch with his comrades.

Alone in the jungle,
he could hear enemy soldiers
coming in his direction.
Scrambling for cover,
he found his way up a high ridge
to several small caves in the rock.
Quickly he crawled inside one of the caves.
Although safe for the moment,
he realized that once the enemy
soldiers looking for him swept up the ridge,
they would quickly search
all the caves and he would be killed.

As he waited, he prayed,
"Lord, if it be your will,
please protect me.
Whatever your will though,
I love you and trust you.
Amen."

After praying,
he lay quietly listening to the enemy
begin to draw close.


He thought,
"Well, I guess the Lord isn't going
to help me out of this one."
Then he saw a spider begin to build a web
over the front of his cave.

As he watched, listening to the enemy
searching for him all the while,
the spider layered strand after strand of web
across the opening of the cave.

"Hah,"
he thought.
"What I need is a brick wall
and what the Lord has sent me is a spider web.
God does have a sense of humor."

As the enemy drew closer he watched
from the darkness of his hideout
and could see them searching
one cave after another.
As they came to his,
he got ready to make his last stand.
To his amazement, however,
after glancing in the direction of his cave,
they moved on.
Suddenly, he realized that
with the spider web over the entrance,
his cave looked as if
no one had entered for quite a while.
"Lord, forgive me,"
prayed the young man.
"I had forgotten that in you a spider's web
is stronger than a brick wall."

We all face times of great trouble.
When we do,
it is so easy to forget
the victories that God
would work in our lives,
sometimes in the most surprising ways.
As the great leader,
Nehemiah,
reminded the people of Israel
when they faced the task of rebuilding Jerusalem,
"In God we will have success!"
[Nehemiah 2:20]

Remember:
Whatever is happening in your life,
with God,
a mere spider's web can become
a brick wall of protection.
Believe He is with you always.
Just speak His name through Jesus His son,
and you will see
His great power and love for you.

[MajestyJo]

I Will Come Home To You

~*Marge Tindal*~

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/phone-240x320-landscapes/0179.gif

O' Maker Of Life
into this earthly shell I am bound
until I am washed upon your shore
awaiting passage
forevermore at peace
among the oceans of my people
Having floated many moon-moved waves
I now await the tide that will bring me
into the serenity of your gentle waters
Whenever you are ready
I will come home to you

Posted on my site in 2010

[MajestyJo]

God Forgive Me When I Whine

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/phone-240x320-angels/0413.gif

Today upon a bus I saw a lovely girl with golden hair. I envied her - she seemed so gay - and wished I were as fair.

But suddenly she rose to leave. I saw her hobble down the isle, she had only one leg and wore a crutch, but as she passed, a smile…

Oh, God forgive me when I whine,

I have two legs, the world is mine.

I stopped to buy some candy. The lad who sold them had such charm. I stopped to talk to him, he seemed so glad - if I was late could do no harm. As I left he said to me, “I thank-you, you had been so kind. It’s nice to talk to folks like you, you see,” he said, “I am Blind.”

Oh, God forgive me when I whine,

I have two eyes, the world is mine.

Later while walking down the street, I saw a child with eyes of blue. He stood and watched the others play, he did not know what to do. I stopped a moment and said, “Why don’t you join the others, dear?” He looked ahead without a word and then I knew, he couldn't hear.

Oh, God forgive me when I whine,

I have two ears, the world is mine.

With feet to take me where I go, with eyes to see the sun-set glow, with ears to hear what I would know.

Oh, God forgive me when I whine,

I am blessed indeed, the world is mine!

-unknown

[MajestyJo]

Received from my friend in Texas.

This is the kind of story you need when it seems like the world is spiraling out of control. Not many people get a picture of this proud bird snuggled up next to them!

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=f1937f8ea3&view=att&th=140adaae786045a6&attid=0.0.1&disp=emb&zw&atsh=1

Freedom and Jeff.

Freedom and I have been together 11 years this summer.
She came in as a baby in 1998 with two broken wings.
Her left wing doesn't open all the way even after surgery,
It was broken in 4 places. She's my baby.

When Freedom came in she could not stand and both wings
were broken. She was Emaciated and covered in lice. We
made the decision to give her a chance at life, so I took
her to the vet's office. From then on, I was always around
her. We had her in a huge dog carrier with the top off, and
it was loaded up with shredded newspaper for her to lay in.
I used to sit and talk to her, urging her to live, to fight; and
she would lay there looking at me with those big brown eyes.
We also had to tube feed her for weeks.

This went on for 4-6 weeks, and by then she still couldn't
stand. It got to the point where the decision was made to
euthanize her if she couldn't stand in a week. You know you
don't want to cross that line between torture and rehab,
and it looked like death was winning. She was going to be put
down that Friday, and I was to come in that Thursday. I
didn't want to go to the center because I couldn't bear the
thought of her being euthanized; but I went anyway, and
when I walked in everyone was grinning from ear to ear. I
went back to her cage; and there she was, standing on her
own, a big beautiful eagle. She was ready to live. I was
just about in tears by then. That was a very good day.

We knew she could never fly, so the director asked me to
glove train her. I got her used to the glove, and then to
jesses, and we started doing education programs for schools
in western Washington. We wound up in the newspapers and
Radio (believe it or not) and some TV. Miracle Pets even did
a show about us.

In the spring of 2000, I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's
lymphoma. I had stage 3, which is not good (one major organ
plus everywhere), so I wound up doing 8 months of chemo.
Lost the hair - the whole bit. I missed a lot of work. When I
felt good enough, I would go to Sarvey and take Freedom
out for walks. Freedom would also come to me in my dreams
and help me fight the cancer. This happened time and time
again.

Fast forward to November 2000, the day after Thanksgiving.
I went in for my last checkup. I was told that if the cancer
was not gone after 8 rounds of chemo. My last option was a
stem cell transplant. Anyway, they did the tests; and I had
to come back Monday for the results. I went in Monday, and
I was told that all the cancer was gone.

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=f1937f8ea3&view=att&th=140adaae786045a6&attid=0.0.2&disp=emb&zw&atsh=1

So the first thing I did was get up to Sarvey and
take the big girl out for a walk. It was misty
and cold. I went to her flight and jessed her
up, and we went out front to the top of the
Hill. I hadn't said a word to Freedom, but
somehow she knew. She looked at me and wrapped
both her wings around me to where I could feel
them pressing in on my back (I was engulfed in eagle
wings), and she touched my nose with her beak and
stared into my eyes, and we just stood there like
that for I don't know how long . That was a magic
moment. We have been soul mates ever since she
came in. This is a very special bird.

On a side note: I have had people who were sick
come up to us when we are out, and Freedom has
some kind of hold on them. I once had a guy who was
terminal come up to us and I let him hold her.
His knees just about buckled and he swore he could
feel her power course through his body. I have so
many stories like that..

I never forget the honor I have of being so close to
such a magnificent spirit as Freedom.

Hope you enjoyed this!

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=f1937f8ea3&view=att&th=140adaae786045a6&attid=0.0.3&disp=emb&zw&atsh=1

Feel free to share this in memory of anyone you know who has been
struck down by cancer or is still living with it
or just someone who enjoys a GREAT STORY.
Snoopes.com
http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/freedom.asp

[MajestyJo]

JESUS, IT'S ME AGAIN
(Damron)

Dick Damron - 1982

Creative Harmony - 2000
Also recorded by: Hazel-Marie Robertson; George Hamilton IV.

http://angelwinks.net/images/angelpod.jpg

This angel will change daily.

Lately Lord, I almost feel like dyin'
Wakeup like a child slowly cryin'
Sometimes Lord, I just can't keep from cryin'
I can't find the strength to carry on

Jesus it's me again
Down on my knees again
Asking you please again
Reach out your hand

Jesus it's me again
Down on my knees again
Asking you please again
Reach out your hand

Instrumental Interlude

Time to time I try to find a reason
To talk to you from time to time before
But this time Lord Your Will is my command
And I know I just can't take it anymore

Jesus it's me again
Down on my knees again
Asking you please again
Reach out your hand

Jesus it's me again
Down on my knees again
Asking you please again
Reach out your hand

Reach out your hand

(Transcribed by Bette Carl - September 2002)

[MajestyJo]

https://www.graphicsfactory.com/clip-art/image_files/image/6/1361816-Cartoon-Frog-Mobster-With-A-Hat-And-Cigar-Over-A-Blank-Wood-Sign.gif

I took a step and with new strength
I’d never felt before,
I kissed my Comfort Zone "goodbye"
And closed and locked the door.
I couldn’t let my life go by
Just watching others win.
I held my breath and stepped outside
And let the change begin.

I claimed to be so busy
With the things inside my zone,
But deep inside I longed for
Something special of my own.
I said it didn’t matter,
That I wasn’t doing much
I said I didn’t care for things
Like diamonds, furs and such.

I longed so much to do the things
I’d never done before,
But I stayed inside my Comfort Zone and
Paced the same old floor.
I used to have a Comfort Zone
Where I knew I couldn’t fail
The same four walls of busy work
Were really more like jail.

If you are in a Comfort Zone,
Afraid to venture out,
Remember that all winners were
At one time filled with doubt.
A step or two and words of praise,
Can make your dreams come true.
Greet your future with a smile,
Success is there for you!

- - Unknown

[MajestyJo]

Had this or something similar on one of my sites, that got deleted. Have finally unearthed some of my books and found a poem on the same subject today when I was looking up a book called "I will lift up my eyes."

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/insects-butterflies/0336.gif

The piece I remember told me that if I was in a comfort zone, I was in a danger zone and that comfort could be a place of complacency.


The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere they can be quite alone with the heavens, nature, and God. Because only then does one feel that all is at it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature. As long as this exists, and it certainly always will, I know that then there will always be comfort for every sorrow, whatever the circumstances may be.

- Anne Frank

[MajestyJo]

-------------------------------------------------
MountainWings A MountainWings Moment
#5049 Wings Over The Mountains of Life
-------------------------------------------------

So Be It
========

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/water-frogs/0235.gif

So if the U.S. government determines that it is against the law for the words "under God" to be on our money, then, so be it.

And if that same government decides that the "Ten Commandments" are not to be used in or on a government installation, then, so be it.

And since they already have prohibited any prayer in the
schools, of which they deem their authority, then so be it.

I say, "so be it," because I would like to be a law abiding U.S. citizen.

I say, "so be it," because I would like to think that smarter people than I are in positions to make good decisions. I would like to think that those people have my best interest at heart.

BUT, YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE I'D LIKE?

I'd like my mail delivered on Christmas, Good Friday, and Easter and Sunday.

I'd like the U.S. Supreme Court to be in session on Christmas, Good Friday and Easter as well as Sundays. After all...it was the government that deemed these as religious observances!

I'd like the Senate and the House of representatives to not have to worry about getting home for the "Christmas Break."

I'm thinking that a lot of my taxpayer dollars could be saved if all government offices and services would work on Christmas, Good Friday and Easter.

It shouldn't cost any overtime since those would be just like any other days of the week to a government that is trying to be "politically correct."

This would not effect any "non-governmental" business since everyone else still has the freedom of religion; we could all still enjoy our holidays.

So I guess if they continue to bow to the wishes of the few, and if this e-mail gets out to the right people, maybe they would bow to the wishes of the many.

So be it.


~Author Unknown~

[MajestyJo]

http://www.gifs.net/Animation11/Everything_Else/Bathroom_Stuff/Outhouse.gif

One of my bygone recollections,
As I recall the days of yore.
Is the little house, behind the house,
With the crescent over the door.

'Twas a place to sit and ponder
With your head bowed down low;
Knowing that you wouldn't be there,
If you didn't have to go.

Ours was a three-holer,
With a size for every one.
You left there feeling better,
After your usual job was done.

You had to make these frequent trips,
Whether snow, rain, sleet, or fog,
To the little house where you usually
Found the Sears-Roebuck catalog.

Oft times in dead of winter,
The seat was covered with snow.
'Twas then with much reluctance,
To the little house you'd go.

With a swish you'd clear the seat,
Bend low, with dreadful fear.
You'd blink your eyes and grit your teeth
As you settled on your rear.

I recall the day Granddad,
Who stayed with us one summer,
Made a trip to the shanty
Which proved to be a hummer.

'Twas the same day my Dad
Finished painting the kitchen green.
He'd just cleaned up the mess he's made
With rags and gasoline.

He tossed the rags in the shanty hole
And went on his usual way,
Not knowing that by doing so,
He would eventually rue the day.

Now Granddad had an urgent call,
I never will forget!
This trip he made to the little house
Lingers in my memory yet.

He sat down on the shanty seat,
With both feet on the floor.
Then filled his pipe with tobacco
And struck a match on the outhouse door.

After the Tobacco began to glow,
He slowly raised his rear:
Tossed flaming match in the open hole,
With not a sign of fear.

The Blast that followed, I am sure,
Was heard for miles around;
And left poor grandpa
Just sitting on the ground.

The smoldering pipe was still in his mouth,
His suspenders he held tight;
The celebrated three-holer
Was blown clear out of sight.

When we asked him what had happened,
His answer I'll never forget.
He thought it must be something
That he had recently et!

Next day we had a new one,
Which my Dad built with ease.
With a sign on the entrance door
Which read: No Smoking, Please!

Now that's the end of the story,
With memories of long ago,
Of the little house behind the house
Where we went when we had to go!

Received from my friend Carey.

I was one of the lucky ones, I got to experience this. In today, it is more modern but it does help when you need quiet time in the midst of the 'busy' of today.

God is everywhere!

I have a direct line on a mobile phone!

[MajestyJo]

When God created kitty cats,
He had no Recipe;
He knew He wanted
Something sweet,
As sweet as sweet could be.

He started out with sugar,
Adding just a trace of spice;
Then stirred in drops of
Morning dew,
To keep them fresh and nice

He thought cats should be soft to pet,
So He gave them coats of fur;
So they could show they were content,
He taught them how to purr.

He made for them long tails
To wave,
While strutting down the walk;
Then trained them in meow-ology,
So they could do cat-talk.

He made them into acrobats,
And gave them grace and poise;
Their wide-eyes curiosity,
He took from little boys.

He put whiskers on their faces,
Gave them tiny ears for caps;
Then shaped their little bodies,
To snugly fit on laps.

He gave them eyes as big as saucers,
To look into man's soul;
Then set a tolerance for mankind,
Their purpose and their goal.

Benevolent...and...Generous,
He made so many of them;
Then charged, with fatherly concern,
The human race to love them.

When one jumped up upon His lap,
God gentle stroked its head;
The cat gave Him a kitty kiss,
"What wondrous love," God! ! Said.

God smiled at His accomplishment,
So pleased with His creation;
And said, with pride, as He sat back,
"At last...I've reached purr-fection!"

Unknown Author

http://angelwinks.net/images/iq/qcsmilingflowers1.jpg

[MajestyJo]

HOW TO STAY YOUNG

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/phone-240x320-cats/0004.gif

1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height.

Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay them.

2. Keep only cheerful friends.

The grouches pull you down. (keep this In mind if you are one of those grouches) ;)

3. Keep learning:

Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening,
whatever. Never let the brain get idle.

"An idle mind is the devil's workshop."
And the devil's name is Alzheimer's!

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

And if you have a friend who makes you laugh, spend lots and Lots of time with HIM/HER.

6. The tears happen:

Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person who is with us our entire life, is our self. LIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love:

Whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever.

Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health:

If it is good, preserve it.
I f it is unstable, improve it.
If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don't take guilt trips.

Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county, to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.


And if you don't send this to at least 4 people - who cares? LOL

But do share this with someone.

:61:

[MajestyJo]

Wrote this for a writing challenge on another site in 2010.

..."sunny"

using this word create a poem that accurately depicts yourself - it can be used in any derivative form if you so wish, good luck and happy writing

http://bestanimations.com/Earth&Space/Sun/cute-happy-sun-animation-9.gif

Oh Mr. Sun, you make my day
You make my heart warm and it radiates
With outbursts of love and energy
Which resinates through my being.

Even when I can't see you
You are on my mind
Because I know that somewhere
Beyond those clouds you shine.

With hope and bated breath
I wait to see your face,
No matter what comes between us
My faith in you remains forever true.

You are a part of Father sky
You shine down on Mother Earth
You feed the Nature of all Things
Big and small they feel your Grace.

[MajestyJo]

HUGS FROM HEAVEN

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/phone-240x320-love/0034.gif

When you feel a gentle breeze
Caress you when you sigh
It's a hug sent from Heaven
From a loved one way up high.

If a soft and tender raindrop
Lands upon your nose
They've added a small kiss
As fragile as a rose.

If a song you hear fills you
With a feeling of sweet love
It's a hug sent from Heaven
From someone special up above.

If you awaken in the morning
To a bluebird's chirping song
It's music sent from Heaven
To cheer you all day long.

If tiny little snowflakes
Land upon your face
It's a hug sent from Heaven
Trimmed with Angel lace.

So keep the joy in your heart
If you're lonely my dear friend
Hugs that are sent from Heaven
A broken heart will mend.

[MajestyJo]

FRIENDSHIP!

http://www.angelwinks.net/images/friends/friends3.jpg

Friendship is precious,
not only in the shade,
but in the sunshine of life;
and thanks to a benevolent
arrangement of things,
the greater part of life is sunshine.
~Thomas Jefferson~



Of all the blossoms in life's garden,
friendship is the most fragrant.
~Anonymous~



A friend is a gift where
worth cannot be measured
except by the heart



Be full of sympathy toward each other,
loving one another with tender hearts
and humble minds
~1 Peter 3:8~



Friendship is sharing openly,
laughing often,
trusting always,
caring deeply.


We can pour our heart out to a friend
knowing that gentle hands will take and sift it,
keep what is worth keeping,
and with a breath of kindness,
blow the rest away.

Thank YOU for being my friend

[MajestyJo]

http://www.castlemountains.com/postcards/eunifun/oct2/oct_friend1.gif

Friendship is a priceless gift,
That cannot be bought or sold.
But it's value is far greater,
Than a mountain of gold.



For gold is cold and lifeless.
It can neither see nor hear.
And in the time of trouble,
It is powerless to cheer.



It has no ears to listen.
No heart to understand.
It cannot bring you comfort.
Or reach out a helping hand.


So when you feel down and need a lift,
One of the best things to make amends,
Isn't diamonds, pearls or riches,
But the love of real true friends.

[MajestyJo]

It says in the AA Preamble, that some people are constitutionally incapable of being honest with themselves. Many people know they are an alcoholic and/or an addict, but they don't care. It is a progressive disease.

"If I could live my life over again I'd
make the same mistakes only sooner."

- Tallulah Bankhead


https://ci5.googleusercontent.com/proxy/B8TVEYHn7BzYnMCQ5o2q0U_F13EH7lK46VNNgAy9I3nCebdC6W dsvdnXtfI6iQ55fEg2M2G6KUD-xmViIqtQ3KOls323DWaxHvKMJjcOvNzvLDsV9-6E1S1Isz6Mr0kQTmstXQctwT_nM7okmHXr_CGqwgbU1qw0qAX-_lFA=s0-d-e1-ft#http://www.biography.com/imported/images/Biography/Images/Profiles/B/Tallulah-Bankhead-9197836-1-402.jpg

https://ci6.googleusercontent.com/proxy/8nOm8TpTknTcju0bUGpGyNZzPDNWZPAKg81mN18RvaaWKD133y qeefrp7WMwz5Keq2Kv4byuyd9GGJj3HSOklSfKXHaq1QDrglOj 8tfK=s0-d-e1-ft#http://www.otrcat.com/z/tallulah-bankhead-otrcat.com.jpg

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_cayQgwrR0E/TfgGjs9a8UI/AAAAAAAACuM/TvK1EeGhJ6M/s1600/TallulahBankhead.jpg

[MajestyJo]

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/birds-bald-eagles/0045.gif

When you are tired and discouraged
from fruitless effort,

GOD knows how hard you have tried.

When you've cried so long your
heart is in anguish,

GOD has counted your tears.

If you feel that your life is on hold
and time has passed you by,

GOD is waiting for you.

When nothing makes sense and you
are confused or frustrated,

GOD has the answer.

If suddenly your outlook is brighter
and you find traces of hope,

GOD has whispered to you.

When things are going well and you
have much to be thankful for,

GOD has blessed you.

When something joyful happens
and you are filled with awe,

GOD has smiled upon you.

Remember that wherever you are or
whatever you are feeling,

GOD knows!

[MajestyJo]

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/phone-240x320-christmas/0471.gif

Uptight before Christmas, all through these rooms
alcoholics were stricken with holiday gloom.

They prayed, "Santa, please make us happy, joyous & free,
bring us candy and presents and serenity."

Greed filled their minds and envy their hearts
and someone said, "It's time for the meeting to start!"

"Does anyone have a topic tonight?"
Every face in the place turned wintery white!

They lost all self-seeking, self-pity and self-will
when down through the chimney came the ghost of St. Bill!

He chuckled and said as he sat himself down
"Call the White House and tell 'em there's a new Dubya in town."

Then he looked through a big book and said with a tear,
"Wow! No one rewrote this after all these years!"

Clean house, help your neighbor, be loving and kind,
and don't take the first drink one day at a time."

"How could a message as simple as this
be realized, analyzed and intellectually dismissed?"

There lies the reason this ghost has arrived:
to re-give a gift that has saved all your lives!

Then he set up a big screen and a DVD
so every lost soul in the meeting could see.

He played a movie of drunks at their best and their worst,
what is and what was, when blessed and when cursed.

There were scenes of a housewife passed out at a bar,
a respectable businessman wrecking his car,

A fight in a kitchen, a fight in bed,
a fight at a reception between newlyweds.

An empty bottle, a desperate man
alone in a motel with a gun in his hands.

He puts down the gun and picks up the phone
and whimpers and blubbers, "Honey, let me come home."

She hangs up as she tells him, "Don't call here anymore."
He reaches for the phone book and falls to the floor.

Somehow that phone book seems to capture his gaze:
it's open to a number under the A's.

Then all of the people in the movie converged
on the poor side of town in the basement of a church.

Driven together in a willing herd
to hear of hope and deliver the word.

The ghost of Bill W. turned off the TV
and said, "The first word of the first step is 'we'.

I suggest you start there and see where you go.
Be thorough and fearless, and please-take it slow!

Let faith set the tone, let love make the mood
'and as for a topic...how about gratitude?'

Just don't drink, go to meetings and, yes, you should pray
and be glad you're alive and sober today.

Be a good woman, be a good man
and be of service whenever you can.

Be a good mother, be a good dad
and try to be good to your kids when they're bad.

Be a good husband, or lover, or wife...
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good life.

[MajestyJo]

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/christmas-uk/68.gif

Do not take anything
as being forever,
because forever is only
as long as today.
Know that the people who
are the richest
are not those who have the most,
but those who need the least.
That we are at our strongest
when life is at its worst,
and at our weakest when life
no longer offers a challenge.
That it is wiser not to expect,
but to hope,
for in expecting you ask for
disappointment,
whereas in hoping, you invite
surprise.
That unhappiness doesn't come from
not having something you want,
but from the lack of something
inside that you need.
That there are things to hold
and things to let go,
and letting go doesn't mean you lose,
but that you acquire that which
has been waiting around the corner.

Most of all...
remember to use your dreams as a
way of knowing yourself better,
and as an inspiration to reach
for your star.

Received with thanks from Inspiration Plus

[MajestyJo]

Old, but always timely. IMHO, America has taken political correctness way beyond reasonable.

Received with thanks from my friend Carey in Texas

A dog had followed his owner to school. His owner was a fourth grader at a public elementary school. However, when the bell rang, the dog sidled inside the building and made it all the way to the child's classroom before a teacher noticed and shooed him outside, closing the door behind him.

The dog sat down, whimpered and stared at the closed doors.

Then God appeared beside the dog, patted his head, and said,


'Don't feel bad fella'...they won't let ME in either'.
http://www.animated-gifs.eu/mammals-dogs-christmas/0019.gif

[MajestyJo]

YOUR HAND

When my world falls down around me,
And the ground is sinking sand;
When peace can't be found on this earth,
I reach out for your hand.



Then when your hand wraps 'round my own,
A strength pours from your soul;
It brings me to a quiet calm,
Till once again I'm whole.



A peace beyond all reason,
A rest there in your touch;
Something in your quiet words,
My heart yearns for so much.



If I but rest my worries,
Upon your shoulder there;
The strength that pours forth from your soul,
Will wash away each care.



Like a cool, sweet taste of water,
For a tired and thirsty man;
My heart finds peace, my soul is calm,
When I reach out for your hand.

Have A Wonderful Day!

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/phone-240x320-cats/0176.gif

[MajestyJo]

WOW, WHAT A STORY!!!!!!
MARINES AND TAMPONS

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/christmas-merry/0316.gif

Tampons to the rescue in Iraq !! Don't worry, it's a good story, and worth reading. It's even humorous in parts. It's from the mother of a Marine in Iraq .

My son told me how wonderful the care packages we had sent them were and wanted me to tell everyone thank you. He said that one guy we'll call Marine X, got a girl care package and everyone was giving him a hard time. My son said, 'Marine X got some really nice smelling lotion and everyone really likes it, so every time he goes to sleep they steal it from him.' I told my son I was really sorry about the mistake, and if he wanted I would send Marine X another package. He told me not to worry about Marine X because every time I send something to him, Marine X thinks it's for him too.

He said when my husband and I sent the last care package, Marine X came over to his cot picked up the box, started fishing through it, and said, 'What'd we get this time?'

My son said they had the most fun with Marine X's package. He said he wasn't sure who we were sending the pack to, but the panties were size 20, and he said one of the guys got on top of the Humvee and jumped off with the panties over his head and yelled, 'Look at me, I'm an Airborne Ranger!!!!' One of the guys attached the panties to an antenna and it blew in the wind like a windsock. He said it entertained them for quite a while. Then of course.......they had those tampons.

When he brought this up, my imagination just went running, but he
continued. My son said they had to go on a mission and Marine X wanted the Chap-Stick and lotion for the trip. He grabbed a bunch of the items from his care package and got in the Humvee. As luck would have it he grabbed the tampons too, and my son said everyone was teasing him about 'not forgetting his feminine hygiene products'

He said things went well for a while, then the convoy was ambushed and a Marine was shot. He said the wound was pretty clean, but it was deep. He said they were administering first aid but couldn't get the bleeding to slow down, and someone said, 'Hey! Use Marine X's tampons!' My son said they put the tampon in the wound. At this point my son profoundly told Me, 'Mom, did you know that tampons expand?'
('Well....yeah!')

They successfully slowed the bleeding until the guy got better medical
attention. When they went to check on him later The surgeon told them, 'You guys saved his life. If you hadn't stopped that bleeding he would have bled to death.' My Son said, 'Mom, the tampons sent by the Marine Moms by mistake saved a Marine's life.'

At this point I asked him, 'Well, what did you do with the rest of the
tampons?' He said, 'Oh, we divided them up and we all have them in our flak jackets, and I kept two for our first aid kit.'

I am absolutely amazed by the ingenuity of our Marines. I can't believe
that something that started out as a mistake then turned into a joke, ended up saving someone's life. My sister said she doesn't believe in mistakes. She believes God had a plan all along. She believes that 'female care package' was sent to Marine X to save our Marine.

Either way, our efforts have boosted the morale of many Marines, provided much needed items for our troops, AND saved the life of a Marine! God bless every one of you for your efforts and hard work, and God bless our Marines, Army, Navy, Air Force and all our military service personnel.



GOD BLESS AMERICA AND KEEP IT SAFE!Please send this on after a short prayer.


Pray for our soldiers!

PRAYER:

'Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands.
Protect them as they protect us.
Bless them and their families for the selfless acts
they perform for us in our time of need.
Amen.'

[MajestyJo]

Feel the truth In every moment, in every circumstance there is a new truth to be discovered. Life is rich with possibilities for deeper, more profound understanding.
You are, at the same time, all-encompassing essence and also a particular momentary expression of that essence. You live in this moment and you live beyond it.

Discovering truth is a matter of confirming in experience what you already know in your essence. The way you know it is truth is because it resonates so perfectly within the depth of who you are.

Truth is not something you must be told. Truth is truth because you recognize it so completely.

Living successfully in this moment and in this world is a matter of connecting your outer life to your inner truth. The most effective, fulfilling choice in any situation is to live the truth of who you are.

In pure truth there is no fear, no worry, no anxiety or anger. Feel the truth that is within you, and let it guide your every choice.

-- Ralph Marston

Just shared on this on an ABC Recovery post. It is about finding our truth. Experiencing our own life and no longer living it through others.

For me, it is about not playing old tapes, but making new ones in living colour!

What do I believe in? What do I want for my life? What do I need for my own health and well being so that I can be there for others? When I am focusing on others and not on my own recovery, the well runs dry. I need to remember that I need food for the body, mind and spirit.

Can't fault the last statement. If I am living in those feeling, I am not working my program or not working it to the best of my ability. When fear is near, God is here. I need to have faith in that. That is my truth.

There is negative in life. That is a given. It is what I can do to change it into a positive that matters. Turning a blind eye and pretending that it isn't there isn't the solution.

http://joanne-kitchen.avatar.yuku.com/recoveryinn

[MajestyJo]

If you want to beat traffic. . .

Pick some fruit!!

https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSGoPFxySy2i50cTxsZ5kzlOThzUl0ja 9YoiVeMdaej0ulzAZhP

Yesterday it took me an hour and fifteen minutes to go 10 miles.

I was frustrated.
I was powerless.
I was exhausted.
I was grateful.
I was victorious.
I was energized.

Heavy traffic volumes are a fact of life in any big city. Many of the local governments fund road improvement programs, only to close lanes as they improve the roads.

Lanes close, traffic increases, people get more frustrated and distracted, they have accidents, they cause more traffic pile-ups.

It's a vicious cycle.

It is often said that a person's first reaction in times of crisis tells a lot about that person. I say that a person's reaction while traveling six inches per minute tells even more about that person.

Sitting in traffic is one of the best times to pick some fruit.

Pick some patience. . .
You'll be able to relax. After all, you'll be sitting there for a while anyway.

Pick some peace. . .
Try something different --- instead of listening to the radio traffic reports about the traffic you're sitting in, turn the radio off. Play a classical CD.
Or better yet, just enjoy the quiet time.

Pick some kindness. . .
Smile at the person in the car next to you. Now that's really different!

Pick some love. . .
Start a conversation with your spouse or child about something you know is bothering them. Time spent driving can be time spent talking and understanding each other.

Pick some joy. . .
Be thankful that you're not the person involved in the calamity that's causing the traffic.

Pick some faith. . .
Take this time to look up at the sky, observe the trees, marvel at the birds. Think about your own life. Then you'll know for sure that there is a God.

Pick some gentleness. . .
I know you have a cell phone, so pick it up and call someone you haven't spoken to in months. You still remember the number.

Pick some goodness. . .
Plan a good deed that you'll do for someone as soon as you get out of the traffic. Maybe there's something you can do immediately to help the person on the side of the road.

Pick some meekness. . .
No matter what kind of car you're riding in, understand that it's not by your own works that you were able to obtain it.

Once you pick your fruit, your frustration, powerlessness, and exhaustion will transform into gratitude, victory and energy.

You'll have a new outlook on life all because you pulled over,
. . . and decided to pick some fruit.


~A Mountain Wings Original by C. Elijah Bronner~

They say, if we do the work, we will see the fruit of our labour. If you don't put something into it, you won't get anything out of it.

I think that is why they say, give it a way in order to keep it. When you do, it comes back to you, not always from the same source, but it will come back.

May you have a fruitful life today.

[MajestyJo]

My life is unmanageable when managed by me. Yet often, when life happens and I get caught up in 'stuff' and I don't realize what is going on, until I am in it, and need to get myself out of it.

When I do the do things, pick up my phone, go on the internet, read my books, do a meditation and talk to my God, things come into their true perspective. It is only when I find acceptance what is in the moment, and look to what I need to do to change. First is my attitude, prayer to my God, and doing the do things that the program suggests I do, like going to a meeting, call my sponsor, journaling, and meditation to find the answer.
here is a great quote in Courage to Change from Al-Anon which gave me the thought for discussion.

If problems arise today, I will try to acknowledge them - and then put a little spiritual space between my problems and myself. If I can share them with another person, I will further diminish their power. Recognizing that my life is unmanageable is the first step toward managing it.

"...when we bring things out into the light, they lose their power over us."

...In All Our Affairs.

My life is unmanageable when I put my life on hold waiting for someone else to make a decision.

My life is unmanageable when I don't practice putting more balance in my life. When everything is all computer, it isn't healthy. Even though I balance my time between several sites, I don't think that counts.

My life is unmanageable when I allow my pain to rule my life. When I give up doing and just let my pain dictate my actions, my life is unmanageable.

My life is unmangeable when I do everything at once and don't balance my day. Like this week, I was in for three days because of the weather and then I had to play catch up. It would have been much more manageable to do things Wednesday and Thursday.

My life is unmanageable when I don't accept what is in the moment, no matter 'what ' is. I don't have to like it, but I do need to accept it before I can move beyond it.

My lfie is unmanageable when I don't write things down and write reminders and then forget where I put the reminder or forget the list. Fibromyalgia has a way of doing that to me. I think I have paid, but have only thought of doing and I didn't follow up the thought with action.

I get the thought to take something out for supper. If I don't act on it, it is gone and when dinner time comes, nothing is thawed.

It isn't a whole lot unmanageable like it was prior to recovery. I no longer have to rob Peter to pay Paul because I drank the money. I don't have to make partial payments because I spent the money on others things.

My life is unmanageable when managed by me. If my God lead me to it, He will see me through it. Doesn't look manageable and doable sometimes, but it is amazing how things turn out sometimes. My God performs miracles. I know, because I am one.

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/mammals-squirrels/0050.gif

[MajestyJo]

FOLLOW THE 80/20 RULE

http://angelwinks.net/images/iq/qcgirlndogbypond2.jpg

"Nothing can add more power to your life than concentrating all your energies on a limited set of targets."
-- Nido Qubein

The 80/20 rule says that on a list of 10 tasks, only 2 of those tasks will return 80% of the value of the entire list. Look at your 'to do' list for today. Which tasks are directly related to what you most want in life? Find the 2 high value items on your list and tackle them first. These tasks are the ones that really move us forward.

Many of us actively avoid the top 2 priorities because they are more challenging than the rest. If they are to lead us to worthy goals, they are undoubtedly asking us to move into new territory in thinking and acting, and this can be scary. But this is also REWARDING!

"Don't kid yourself: it's because you're doing all those C's (low priorities) and NOT because you haven't any time, that you don't get to do your A's."
-- Alan Lakein

Confused about what you want and where you're going? Discover the empowerment that comes with focus!

[MajestyJo]

"For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin -- real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be got through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life."

-- Fr. Alfred D’Souza

My whole life seemed to go to the pits and I blamed it on my parents. Either my father for not being there or for my mother being there and doing nothing or doing things that I found abusive and controlling.

I didn't know that she was dealing with her own pain and didn't have the tools to deal with it. I believe she too had fibromyalgia.

As the quote says it was my life and my choices. A lot of those choices were a result of what I had seen in my past and didn't know I had the power to change them. I didn't know I was giving up my own power. Didn't know I had it to lose.

Life happens! Life doesn't change, the only person who can change is me. I don't have the power to change or make anyone do anything. I can still hear my mother saying, "Look at what you made me do!"

Often the obstacles are self imposed. I put on the limitations myself. Through my God, all things are possible. I didn't need prison bars, I was a prisoner of my own mind.

Life didn't get better, I did.

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/insects-butterflies/0118.gif

[MajestyJo]

FOR THOSE in the Ya-Ya Sisterhood:

1. If you love something, set it free. If it comes back, it will always be yours. If it doesn't come back, it was never yours to begin with. But, if it just sits in your living room, messes up your stuff, eats your food, uses your telephone, takes your money, and doesn't appear to realize that you had set it free....... You either married it or gave birth to it.

2. Reason to smile: Every 7 minutes of every day, someone in an aerobics class pulls a hamstring.

3. They keep telling us to get in touch with our bodies. Mine isn't all that communicative but I heard from it the other day after I said, "Body, how'd you like to go to the six o'clock class in vigorous toning?" Clear as a bell my body said, "Listen fatty....do it and die."

4. My mind not only wanders, it sometimes leaves completely.

5. The best way to forget all your troubles is to wear tight shoes.

6. The nice part about living in a small town: When you don't know what you're doing, someone else always does.

7. Just when I was getting used to yesterday, along came today.

8. Amazing! ! You hang something in your closet for a while and it shrinks two sizes!

9. Sometimes I think I understand everything, then I regain consciousness.

10.. I read this article that said the typical symptoms of stress are eating too much, impulse buying, and driving too fast. Are they kidding? That's my idea of a perfect day.

Original Source Unknown

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/insects-butterflies/0189.gif

[MajestyJo]

YESTERDAY, TOMORROW
... and TODAY


The journey's our goal, our path is the point ...

There are two days in every week we should never worry about,
two days that should be kept free from fear and apprehension.

One is yesterday, with its mistakes and cares, its aches and pains, its faults and blunders.

Yesterday has passed forever beyond our control.

All the money in the world cannot bring back yesterday.

We cannot undo a single act we performed, nor erase a single word we've said. Yesterday is gone.

The other day we should not worry about is tomorrow, with its impossible adversaries, its burden, its hopeful promise and unknown performance.

Tomorrow is beyond our control.

Tomorrow's sun will rise either in splendor or behind a mask of clouds ...
but it will rise ... and until it does.

We have no stake in tomorrow, for it is as yet unborn.


This leaves only one day: TODAY!

Anyone can fight the battles of just one day.

It is only when we add the burdens of yesterday and tomorrow that we break down.

It is not the experience of today that drives people mad.

It is the remorse of bitterness for something that happened
yesterday, and the dread of what tomorrow may bring.

Make TODAY the best day it can be, and live one day at a time!

One of my all time favourites.

[MajestyJo]

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/phone-240x320-cartoons/0186.gif

WE HAVE FREEDOM OF CHOICE! UNDERSTAND WHERE YOU ARE IN THE CYCLE OF YOUR LIFE AND USE IT TO THE FULLEST.

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/phone-240x320-cartoons/0055.gif

I HAVE A CHOICE! I CAN BE WILLING OR WILLFUL!

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/phone-240x320-animals/0312.gif

DON'T FALL FOR EVERYTHING YOU SEE! HESITATE & MEDITATE!

https://thumbs.gfycat.com/AshamedNearGrayfox-max-1mb.gif

[MajestyJo]

"For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favor is life:

weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning."

Psalm 30:5



Sunrise To Your Soul

~~~**~~~

http://www.angelwinks.net/images/lotsofrosesbouquet.jpg


God allows us to have "blue" seasons

where there is more weeping than laughing.

What we must remember is that they are only for a season.

That is crucial.

Joy will come in the morning, just as sure as the sunrise.



If you get up tomorrow morning to see the sunrise,

let me tell you what not to do.

Don't try to make it hurry up.

You can't do it.

You can get a brass band and cheerleaders,

but that sun is not going to come up

one second sooner than God intends.



Waiting on the Lord is like waiting on the sun to come up.

You can't hurry it.

You also can't stop it.



God is going to bring a sunrise to your soul.

Just wait for it.

And trust Him while you wait.



Are you in a waiting period . . .

praying days, weeks, months, even years,

for something and God hasn't answered?

Be still and know that in the fullness of time,

your request will be answered so positively.



"Be still, and know that I am God:

I will be exalted among the heathen,

I will be exalted in the earth."

Posted on my site Jo's Kitchen

[MajestyJo]

FREE TO BE YOU

Watch your attitudes, know that you are responsible for yourself and not others. Realize that all judgment of, criticism of, condemnation, and anger towards other people is to be released to their own good. Bless all people as they travel the highway of life and always remember that you are free to be you. And therefore, everybody else is free to be themselves.

Begin to enjoy everyone around you. Keep in mind that love, intelligence and courage is always present enabling us to always be who we are. We can rise up and accomplish all that we desire and maintain the joy, happiness and fulfillment we seek - all we need do is practice our spiritual exercises, study and act as we believe with deep faith. II TIMOTHY 1: 7 reads, "For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but the power and love and sound mind."

Antestian Newsletter - Road to Enlightenment

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/phone-240x320-butterflies/0476.gif

[MajestyJo]

At first glance she looked like any other old woman.
Plodding along in the snow, alone, neglected, head
bowed. People passing on the busy city sidewalk
averted their eyes, lest she remind them that pain and
suffering did not stop to celebrate Christmas.

A young couple, smiling, talking, laughing, arms
loaded with Christmas presents, took no notice of the
old woman.


A mother with two small children hurried by, on their
way to grandmother's house. They took no notice.

A minister walked by proudly carrying his Bible in his
right hand, like a well armed Christian soldier. But
his mind was stayed on heavenly things, and he took no
notice.

If these people had noticed, they would have seen that
the old woman wore no shoes. She walked barefoot in
the ice and snow.

With both hands the old woman gathered her worn
button-less overcoat at the collar to keep out the
wind. She stopped and stood bent and bowed at the bus
stop. A red and blue scarf covering her head, she
waited for the downtown bus.

A gentleman carrying an important looking briefcase
waited near her, not too closely. After all, she
could have something contagious.

A teen-age girl also waited for the bus. She glanced
repeatedly at the old woman's feet, but said nothing.

The bus arrived and the old woman slowly, painfully
boarded. She sat on the sideways seat just behind the
driver. The gentleman and the teen-age girl hurried to
the rear. The man sharing the seat with the old woman
shuffled uneasily and twirled his thumbs. "Senile,"
he thought.

The bus driver saw her bare feet and thought; "This
neighborhood is sinking deeper and deeper into
poverty, I hate to see it, I'll be glad when they put
me on the College Park route."

A little boy pointed at the old woman.

"Look, Mother, that old lady is barefoot."

The embarrassed mother slapped his hand down. "Don't
point at people, Andrew. It's not polite to point."
She looked out the window.

"She must have grown children," a lady in a fur coat
suggested. "Her children should be ashamed of
themselves." She felt morally superior, because she
took good care of her mother.

A teacher seated near the middle of the bus steadied
the bag of gifts on her lap. "Don't we pay enough
taxes to handle situations like this?" she said to a
friend seated beside her. "It's this tax-cut crazy
Republican administration, her friend replied. "They
rob the poor and give to the rich." "No, its the
Democrats," a gray-haired man behind them
interjected. "These Democrat welfare programs just
make people lazy and keep them in poverty."

"People have to learn to save their money," a
well-dressed young college man added. "If that old
woman had saved when she was young, she wouldn't be
suffering now. It's her own fault."

And all these people beamed with satisfaction that
their acumen had delivered such trenchant analysis.

But, a kind businessman felt offended by this
murmuring detachment of his fellow citizens. He
reached into his wallet and took out a crisp
twenty-dollar bill. He strode proudly down the isle
and pressed the bill into the old woman's unsteady,
wrinkled hand. "Here, Madam, get yourself some shoes."


The old woman nodded her head in thanks. The
businessman strode back to his seat, feeling pleased
with himself, that he was a man of action.

A well-dressed Christian lady had noticed all of this.
She began to pray silently. "Lord, I don't have money.
There is no way I can help. But Lord, I can turn to
you in every need. Lord, I know that you are a loving
God. You make a way out of no way. Now Lord, let your
blessing shine on this old woman. Let shoes fall like
manna from heaven, so that this old woman can have
shoes for Christmas." And the Christian lady felt
supremely spiritual.

At the next stop, a young man boarded the bus. He
wore a heavy blue jacket, a maroon scarf around his
neck, and a gray woolen cap pulled down over is ears.
A wire running under the cap and into his ear was
connected to a Walkman. The young man jiggled his body
in time to music only he heard. He paid his fare and
plopped down on the sideways seat directly across from
the old woman.

As the young man's glance caught the old woman's bare
feet,

His jiggling stopped. He froze.

His eyes went from her feet to his. He wore his
expensive, new, brand name sneakers. For months he
had saved from his minimum wage pay to buy these
sneakers. Everybody in the gang would think he was
"so cool."

The young man bent down and began to untie his
sneakers. He removed his impressive new sneakers. He
removed his socks. He knelt down before the old woman.


"Mother," he said, "I see you have no shoes. Well, I
have shoes."

Carefully, gently, he lifted the old woman's crusty
feet in his hands. He placed his socks and his fine
sneakers on the old woman's feet. The old woman nodded
in thanks.

Just then the bus arrived at the nest stop. The young
man left the bus and walked away, barefoot in the
snow.

The passengers crowded at the windows to watch him as
he plodded barefoot through the snow.

"Who is he?" one asked.

"He must be a prophet," said another.

"He must be a saint," someone suggested.

"He must be an angel," said yet another.

"Look! There's a halo around his head," somebody
shouted.

"He must be the Son of God," said the Christian lady.

But the little boy who had pointed, said, "No Mother,
I saw him clearly, He was only a man."

[MajestyJo]

IT'S STRANGE ISN'T IT

http://angelwinks.net/images/generalpod/generalpod1119.jpg

1. Isn't it strange how a 20 dollar bill seems like such a large amount when you donate it to church, but such a small amount when you go shopping?


2. Isn't it strange how 2 hours seem so long when you're at church, and how short they seem when you're watching a good movie?


3. Isn't it strange that you can't find a word to say when you're praying, but you have no trouble thinking what to talk about with a friend?


4. Isn't it strange how difficult and boring it is to read one chapter of the Bible, but how easy it is to read 100 pages of a popular novel or ZANE GREY book


5. Isn't it strange how everyone wants front-row-tickets to concerts or games, but they do whatever is possible to sit at the last row in Church?


6. Isn't it strange how we need to know about an event for Church 2-3 weeks before the day so we can include it in our agenda, but we can adjust it for other events at the last minute?


7. Isn't it strange how difficult it is to learn a fact about God to share it with others, but how easy it is to learn, understand, extend and repeat gossip?


8. Isn't it strange how we believe everything that magazines and newspapers say, but we question the words in the Bible?


9. Isn't it strange how everyone wants a place in heaven, but they don't want to believe, do, or say anything to get there?


10. Isn't it strange how we send jokes in e-mails and they are forwarded right away, but when we are going to send messages about God, we think about it twice before we share it with others?


IT'S STRANGE ISN'T IT?

Original Source Unknown

[MajestyJo]

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/phone-240x320-cats/0114.gif

This reminds me of my mother's saying, "Take a picture, it will last longer" when she saw people staring at us.

Just had a thought, maybe I got my sense of humor from her.


Deuteronomy 5:16
"Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

The sad thing is that I have outlived both of them. My mom died at the age of 40 and my dad at the age of 66, as a result of their own disease.

[MajestyJo]

http://angelwinks.net/images/iq/qcdognkitten2.jpg

I'm so glad
I have you
to share with
to laugh with,
to dream with...
I'm so glad
you're the special
kind of person
that you are...
tender, caring
and understanding.
I'm so glad-
You came into my life!

http://angelwinks.net/images/iq/qcfairybubblebutterflies1.jpg

[MajestyJo]

http://www.angelwinks.net/images/se1.jpg

Psalm 107:19-21
Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave. Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men.

[MajestyJo]

http://www.angelwinks.net/images/icq/doublepinkroseline.gif

You're a true original!
Just like a sparkling snowflake,
You're quite beyond compare,
A one-of-a-kind blessing,
So precious and so rare.

A miracle from Heaven,
You have to know it's true...
You make the world
More beautiful...
Just By Being You!

http://www.angelwinks.net/images/icq/tinyanangelwflowers.gif

You're Always In My Thoughts And Prayers

[MajestyJo]

We are what we feed ourselves. Do you eat negative thoughts? Are we still beating ourselves up. Self abuse can be mental, emotional, and phsyical.

Are we accepting of ourselves in today. Do we endorse and affirm ourselves, or do we continue to put ourselves down and excuse our existence and reason for being. It is okay to be who we are.

http://angelwinks.net/images/iq/qcwrinkleddogbath2.jpg

[MajestyJo]

It Was
=======

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,

it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness,

it was the epoc of belief, it was the epoc of incredulity,

it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness,

it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair,

we had everything before us, we had nothing before us,

we were all going direct to heaven,

we were all going direct the other way

in short, the period was so far like the present period...

This was written by Charles Dickens, from the novel,

"A Tale of Two Cities," about the times of the French revolution.

Sounds very much like today doesn't it?

There is nothing new under the sun.

Received with thanks from my friend Anne

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/phone-240x320-birds/0056.gif

[MajestyJo]

If you are in the center of AA, you won't fall off the edge.

Directions to AA: Just go straight to hell and make a U-turn.

AA: Being a part of something is more important than being the center of attention.

AA is the only place whre you can walk into a room full of strangers and reminisce.
A.A. Romance......The odds are good......but the goods are odd.

AA: Look for a way in; not for a way out.

AA: We are not reformed drunks, but informed alcoholics.

AA has no fixed address--you can take it with you.

AA: We're here for a reason, not for the season.

AA Groups: An AA group will be judged by the worst behavior of its members.

AA Groups: When you clean up after your group, you leave the signature of AA behind you.

AA is a check-up from the neck up.

Before I came into AA I was dead, but I did not know enough to lie down.

AA is not a sentence, it is a reprieve.

A.A. is a self-help program but you can't do it by yourself.

AA won't keep you from going to hell nor is it a ticket to heaven but it will keep you sober long enough for you to make up your mind which way you want to go!

AA won't open the gates of heaven to let you in, but it will open the gates of hell to let you out.

In AA, there are no losers--just slow winners.

Alcoholic (as defined by self): A piece of crap the universe revolves around.

Alcoholic: Someone who refuses to give up a life of failure without a fight.

Alcoholic: A person who, when s/he goes to a wedding, wants to be the bride; when s/he goes to a funeral, wants to be the corpse.

Alcoholic: An alcoholic is someone who wants to be held while isolating.

Alcoholic: I may not be much, but I'm all I think about.

Alcoholic: If I could drink like a normal drinker, I'd drink all the time!

Alcoholic: If you drank enough to get to AA, you drank enough.

Alcohol: It provokes the desire but takes away the performance.

Only an alcoholic would believe that the solution to loneliness was isolation.

Alcoholics burn their bridges in front of them.

Alcohol: An alcoholic is someone who finds something that works and then stops doing it.

Alcohol: It's not what or how much you drank, it's what it did to you.

Alcohol: What you thought was the solution became the problem.

Alcoholic: Terminal uniqueness!

Alcoholic: They didn't make a glass big enough for me to have one drink.

Alcohol: You will be rich when you know you have enough.

Alcoholic drinking's three stages: impulsive ... compulsive ... repulsive.

Each and every alcoholic ---sober or not--- teaches us some valuable lessons about ourselves and recovery.

An alcoholic alone is slumming.

An alcoholic is not a guy who thinks he's had one too many.

He's usually the guy who thinks he's had one too few.

Every alcoholic's favorite brand: More!

If you think you are an alcoholic, chances are, you are.

Alcoholics heal from the outside in...but feel from the inside out.

The destiny of every alcoholic is to be locked up ... covered up ... or ... sobered up.

An alcoholic is a man with two feet firmly planted in mid-air.

You can carry the message, but not the alcoholic.

You're probably an alcoholic if: You think spilling beer is alcohol abuse.

Alcoholics are in a class by themselves. Everyone else has graduated.

Alcoholics are life-long loners who cannot stand to be alone.

Non-alcoholics change their behavior to meet their goals and alcoholics change their goals to meet their behavior.

Alcoholics aren't afraid to die. They're afraid to live.

Alcoholism: Alcohol went from being my best friend to my worst enemy.

Alcoholism: An alcoholic can be in the gutter, yet still look down on people.

Alcoholism: Guilt of yesterday, fear of tomorrow, shame of today.

Alcoholism: High bottoms have trap doors.

Alcoholism: If the cure works, chances are, you have the disease.

Alcoholism: If you drank long enough to get to an A.A. meeting, you drank long enough.

Alcoholism: Name it, Claim it, Tame it!!!

Alcoholism: Once you are a pickle, you can't be a cucumber. But once you are a pickle, you can be a newcomer.

Alcoholism is an equal opportunity destroyer.

Remember that alcoholism is .. incurable, progressive, and fatal.

Alcoholism: The three most dangerous words for an alcoholic -"I've been thinking"

Alcoholism: We are not bad people becoming good, but sick people becoming well.

Alcoholism: Your bottom just may be six feet under.

Alcoholism: Your disease progresses even when you are not drinking.

Alcoholism doesn't come in bottles; it comes in people.

Alcoholism is a self-diagnosed disease.

Some people think alcoholism is a two-fold disease -- more and right now.

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTZXmCgr9thr01s_xURI35zJY-5AsHH80_9mZdl5Fek3jz9gya4

[MajestyJo]

HOW WE TREAT PEOPLE

http://angelwinks.net/images/iq/qcduck375.jpg

Five (5) lessons to make you think about the way we treat people.

1 - First Important Lesson - Cleaning Lady.
During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"

Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade.

"Absolutely," said the professor." In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say "hello".

I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.

2. - Second Important Lesson - Pickup in the Rain.
One night, at 11.30 p.m., an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960s. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab.

She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached.. It read: "Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but
also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away. God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others."

Sincerely,
Mrs. Nat King Cole.

3 - Third Important Lesson - Always remember those who serve.
In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10 -year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. "How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked.

"Fifty cents," replied the waitress. The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it.

"Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired. By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient. "Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied. The little boy again counted his coins.

"I'll have the plain ice cream," he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left.

When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. there, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies.. You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.

4 - Fourth Important Lesson. - The obstacle in Our Path.
In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.

Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load
of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many of us never understand!

Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.

5 - Fifth Important Lesson - Giving When it Counts.
Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare & serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness.
The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister.

I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes I'll do it if it will save her." As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheek. Then his face grew pale and
his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away".

Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.

- Original Source Unknown

From another site posted in 2011

[MajestyJo]

FREE TO BE YOU

Watch your attitudes, know that you are responsible for yourself and not others. Realize that all judgment of, criticism of, condemnation, and anger towards other people is to be released to their own good. Bless all people as they travel the highway of life and always remember that you are free to be you. And therefore, everybody else is free to be themselves.

Begin to enjoy everyone around you. Keep in mind that love, intelligence and courage is always present enabling us to always be who we are. We can rise up and accomplish all that we desire and maintain the joy, happiness and fulfillment we seek - all we need do is practice our spiritual exercises, study and act as we believe with deep faith. II TIMOTHY 1: 7 reads, "For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but the power and love and sound mind."

Antestian Newsletter - Road to Enlightenment

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/religion-angels/0153.gif

[MajestyJo]

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTPZpY-DXjyL2mPeV8ADhbkOL-SgbQw_446GurrrHpFHce9Rs2b

Elder's Meditation of the Day

http://www.whitebis on.org/meditatio n/images/ oakfall.gifFor Thursday 15 July 2010

"It was good for the skin to touch the earth, and the old people liked to remove their moccasins and walk with bare feet on the sacred earth... The soil was soothing, strengthening, cleansing, and healing." — Chief Luther Standing Bear, TETON SIOUX

Touching the earth - getting grounded, centered. There is magic in touching the earth and feeling her healing power. This is especially healthy to do during a troubling time when our minds are racing or can't stop thinking or are locked onto fear or resentment. When I need to feel free I can go to the Mother Earth. The Mother Earth is full of life and love. She always gives her powers to those who come to her. The Mother Earth is alive.

Today, my Great Spirit, let me remember to touch the earth. Let me slow down and live just for today. Let me be gentle, patient and kind.

[MajestyJo]

Originally posted on my site in June 2010:

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSJfBjSEBeDpkynxVr4zIukeR8AoWn7k lX6qaECOY3r6grapo1V

I'm participating in Earth Healing for our Oceans. Dr. Masaru Emoto, who many of you will recognize as the scientist from Japan, has done all the research and publications about the characteristics of water. Among other things, his research reveals that water physically responds to emotions.

Right now, most of us have the predominantly angry emotion when we consider what is happening in the Gulf. And while certainly we are justified in that emotion, we may be of greater assistance to our planet and its life forms if we sincerely, powerfully and humbly pray the prayer that Dr Emoto, himself, has proposed:

I am passing this request to people who I believe might be willing to participate in this prayer, to set an intention of love and healing that is so large, so overwhelming that we can perform a miracle in the Gulf of Mexico.

We are not powerless. We are powerful. Our united energy, speaking this prayer daily...multiple times daily....can literally shift the balance of destruction that is happening.
We don't have to know how......we just have to recognize that the power of love is greater than any power active in the Universe today.

Please join me in repeating this healing prayer from Dr. Emoto. Feel free to copy and paste this to send it around the planet. Let's take charge and do our own clean up!
And so it is! Pass it on.


"I send the energy of love and gratitude to the water and all the living creatures in the Gulf of Mexico and its surroundings. To the whales, dolphins, pelicans, fish, shellfish, plankton, coral, algae, and all living creatures . . .
I am sorry.
Please forgive us.
Thank you.
I love you."

************ ******
Do what you Love.
Live where you Love.
Love where you Pray.

[MajestyJo]

http://www.angelwinks.net/images/spring/spring1.jpg

Beginning today I will no longer worry about yesterday.
It is in the past and the past will never change.
Only I can change by choosing to do so.

Beginning today I will no longer worry about tomorrow.
Tomorrow will always be there,
waiting for me to make the most of it.
But I cannot make the most of tomorrow
without first making the most of today.

Beginning today I will look in the mirror and I will
see a person worthy of my respect and admiration.
This capable person looking back at me is someone
I enjoy spending time with and someone
I would like to get to know better.

Beginning today I will cherish each moment of my life.
I value this gift bestowed upon me in this world and
I will unselfishly share this gift with others.
I will use this gift to enhance the lives of others.

Beginning today I will take a moment to step off the
beaten path and to revel in the mysteries I encounter.
I will face challenges with courage and determination.
I will overcome what barriers there may be which hinder
my quest for growth and self-improvement.

Beginning today I will take life one day at a time,
one step at a time.
Discouragement will not be allowed
to taint my positive self-image,
my desire to succeed or my capacity to love.

Beginning today I walk with renewed faith in human kindness.
Regardless of what has gone before, I believe there
is hope for a brighter and better future.

Beginning today I will open my mind and my heart.
I will welcome new experiences. I will meet new people.
I will not expect perfection from myself nor
anyone else: perfection does not exist in an imperfect world.

But I will applaud the attempt to overcome human foibles.

Beginning today I am responsible for my own happiness
and I will do things that make me happy . . .
admire the beautiful wonders of nature, listen to my
favourite music, pet a kitten or a puppy, soak in a bubble bath
pleasure can be found in the most simple of gestures.

Beginning today I will learn something new; I will
try something different; I will savour all the
various flavors life has to offer.
I will change what I can and the rest I will let go.
I will strive to become the best me I can possibly be.

Beginning today.

Everyday.

[MajestyJo]

http://angelwinks.net/images/iq/qcflowers498.jpg

Be your own best friend, give yourself a hug!

[MajestyJo]

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQSyWNaXn30MZI42jAOkDUq9mb9avuWG oEDlyZ3KYUHqS7fP24e

Take an inventory, look at what is junk and let go and let God. Remember God doesn't make no junk. You are worthy of recovery, and just for today, make the decision to not pick up, no matter what.

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR6IxySZvYp6uAV52iSEzWVcEpctnOW6 SLxpCGxc5Ln4JdKSR9GTw

[MajestyJo]

Pocket Sponsor - Book - Quote

God didn't do it!

God doesn't do anything to me, but always through me.

That is something I ask for daily, to be a channel that God may work through me instead of having to work around me or others.

For so many years, it was look what you did! It got to a stage in my life, I always replied, "The Devil made me do it!" Hogwash!

For one thing, as much as people said it was wrong, it was there opinion and I had to stop taking it personal. I don't think I will ever forget my mother saying, "Look at what you made me do, it is all your fault." I don't even remember the incident, just remember the words. Don't know what she did or I did, but apparently I did it and I was responsible for the whole mess.

I firmly believe that God DOES NOT TEST US! We test God. Yes life happens, and things are put in front of us, I don't see it as a test, so much as Him allowing me freedom of choice. It can be a lesson learned, no matter what it is, I see them as life's experiences. We are often the victim of other people's choice, if we allow ourselves to go there. It is not easy breaking away from an abusive relationship. That is when I have to call on God. If He was testing me, I see it as something I have to do without His Help, and I don't see my God working and thinking that way.

It can be a test of faith, yet every day is that. He doesn't do something that will hurt me and His Goal to 'Get' me and only me and I am so hard done by and why is this happening to me. I made choices that brought me to where I am in today.

So many times we are victim of other people's choices. So we have to learn to accept it, or we can choose to become a victim and play the martyr, which I have done far too many times.

My God doesn't grab me by the scuff of the neck and say "Don't!" Yet if I go to the quiet, and sit in the stillness, the good orderly direction is there. It is up to me as to whether I listen to it or turn away.

So many people blame God for the state of the world. The people of the world made choices, in most cases, to ignore God and disclaim His existance. What a wonderful world this would be if everyone just made their space, the best space it can be, just for today.

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQE2FZ2VgV3gCL4a0lQuKd7PRv9lYNAG IBBBtA_cXf41snrrNwXvQ

[MajestyJo]

"We were trapped by our need for the instant gratification that drugs gave us."

Basic Text, pp.24-25


This was brought home to me when I quit smoking. I tried using Zyban and I took the pill and my immediate thought was, "Well I took the pill, why do I still want a cigarette." When I realized that the stinking thinking went with the pill, I quit taking them and ended up giving them to someone who wanted to quit. They worked for him. Unfortunately, he didn't stay clean and sober, a few months later, he chose to go back out.

I want it now, if not yesterday! How easy it is for that old thinking to come back. The nice thing is that I am able to recognize it for what it is and change it. I used the program and didn't substitute with food or use pill maintenance. I lost three pounds. Mind you, later when I didn't have the cigarettes to stuff the emotions, I did on occasion use food only to fight a new battle.

It was a real awakening for me to become aware of the fact that I could pray for the willingness to be willing. It applies to so many areas of my life. The Twelve Steps helped me quit smoking, helps me with my eating disorder and my chronic pain. It may not seem like it has helped with my computer addiction and yet my mental and emotional state is so much better and I do not obsess like I use to. I think I am more addicted to web sites and building them than the computer. It is just a means to get me to where I want to go.

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/insects-butterflies/0141.gif

[MajestyJo]

Sunshine And Music

http://angelwinks.net/images/iq/qccarebearwsun1.jpg

A laugh is just like sunshine
It freshens all the day,
It tips the peak of life with light,
And drives the clouds away.
The soul grows glad that hears it
And feels its courage strong.
A laugh is just like sunshine
For cheering folks along.

A laugh is just like music.
It lingers in the heart,
And where its melody is heard
The ills of life depart;
Happy thoughts come crowding
Its joyful notes to greet-
A laugh is just like music
For making living sweet.

- Author Unknown

[MajestyJo]

There are two days in every week
about which we should not worry,
Two days which should be kept free of fear and apprehension.

One of these days is YESTERDAY,
With its mistakes and cares,
Its faults and blunders,
Its aches and pains.
YESTERDAY has passed forever beyond our control.

All the money in the world cannot bring back YESTERDAY.
We cannot undo a single act we performed;
We cannot erase a single word we said.
YESTERDAY is gone.

The other day we should not worry about is TOMORROW
With its possible adversities, its burdens, its larger promise.
TOMORROW is also beyond our immediate control.

TOMORROW, the sun will rise,
Either in splendor or behind a mask of clouds,
But it will rise.
Until it does, we have no stake in TOMORROW
For it is as yet unborn.

This leaves only one day - TODAY.
Any man can fight the battles of just one day.
It is only when you and I add the burdens of those two awful eternities
- YESTERDAY and TOMORROW -
That we break down.

It is not the experience of TODAY that drives men mad.
It is remorse or bitterness for something which happened YESTERDAY
And the dread of what TOMORROW may bring.

Let us, therefore, live but ONE day at a time.

Author Unknown

We all feel down sometimes;
Like the pressures of the world are closing in on us.
Once in awhile, we need to be reminded...
That everyone in the world suffers
from the heartbreaks and disillusions of life...
Pass this poem on to someone you care about;
Let them know that you share their hurts,
And that they're not alone.

Living for today/Living in the past, worrying about the future

Have been thinking recently how much I stay in today and don't visit the past unless it is to share with someone or to write a post about what it was like, what happened and what it is like in today, like the Big Book tells me to do.

I will not shut the door on the past, it is often something I can look at and see how far I have come in today and/or see how I have slipped back into an old behavior which has become too comfortable again, and I need to change it. Even things learned in recovery, often need changing or upgraded.

I know that on occasions like the holidays, I projected into the future and put myself into a depression. Thanks to the program, the road looks clear, I am back on track and staying in today when I pick up the tools of recovery.

It always amazes me how fast time can go by. I can look at this month and think, gee 11 days have gone by, where did they go; or gee there are only 20 more days in April; and/or just enjoy today for what it can bring me.

When I am open, good things happen. They may be small to others, but often they are huge to me. Don't you just love those moments that make you go "Aaaaaaaaahhhhhh!"

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/phone-240x320-bears/0198.gif

[MajestyJo]

THINK on THESE THINGS

by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSW8W_xdMzwIRSQPub2MXs1o07hc7VTo _uzyLJHag8BNYOd63bv

Texture is that finely woven fabric of life that demands we have a congenial environment. It asks that we be industrious toward success, and that we should have a way of life, a purpose. We should hear the music of life and taste the bitter and the sweet.

Texture requires us to research every experience and learn the lessons in it. It orders us to communicate with life and make discoveries about ourselves and progress toward a texture where the coarse has been refined.

Frequently we should examine the texture of life to identify the quality. How wide is my world? How high is my sky?

All of us should know our own makeup, our capabilities, our gifts with which we have been divinely endowed. And we should think long on these words from Edna St. Vincent Millay's Renascence:

"The world stands out on either side no wider than the heart is wide. Above the world is stretched the sky, no higher than the soul is high."

[MajestyJo]

Thoughts Of You

http://angelwinks.net/images/iq/qcpinkcactus1.jpg

Hidden Beauty
~
Like a thorny cactus
hidden in the desert grass
delighting us with the beauty
of its sudden bloom ...

Your precious smile
adds a touch of class
lighting up even
the darkest room!

[MajestyJo]

http://angelwinks.net/images/iq/qcangel330.jpg

http://www.listentooldmusic.com/music_from_1965.htm

Look at the good things of the past, don`t focus on the negative. It is gone and you can`t change it, but you can allow yourself to heal from it.

[MajestyJo]

I Love You

http://angelwinks.net/images/iq/qckitten1.jpg

I Love You because ...
whenever you smile
it really lights up your face,
Because your laughter
fills up a room
and makes it a happier place.
I Love You because
you hug me real tight
and tell me you love me, too.
I Love You because
there's nobody else
in the whole wide world
like YOU!

[MajestyJo]

MONDAY'S GREETING: APPLY THE PRINCIPLES OF THE PROGRAM TO YOUR LIFE, SHARE WITH OTHER'S NOT JUST PEOPLE IN THE FELLOWSHIP, BUT WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS.

http://www.animateit.net/data/media/april2014/coffeeday.gif

...WHETHER IT IS PEACE AND QUIET OR BUSY AS A BEAVER!

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRLXEPsEc435SiQErkpiKu4eTGhTrqk2 Xw-vPobAZWGjGBAKguMVw

HUGS, LOVE, KISSES, AND SMILES:

https://s3.envato.com/files/244682468/preview.jpg

[MajestyJo]

TUESDAY'S GREETING: FRIENDS ARE THERE FOR YOU, THEY COME IN ALL SHAPES AND SIZES.

https://media.tenor.com/images/5dba794e70e5ccee8bc79210281df30e/tenor.gif


http://www.dancewithdeb.co.uk/communities/7/004/012/878/277//images/4615709897.gif

DON'T BE SAD, DON'T BE BLUE, THERE IS HOPE FOR YOU. YOU ARE NOT ALONE.


HUGS, LOVE, KISSES, AND SMILES:

http://i.123g.us/c/gen_hi/card/317319.gif


THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

The Light is all the might you need to successfully turn away any dark inner visitor.

Your true wish to understand a negative state initiates the entrance of that specialized Light you need to make this same wish come true.

We suffer what we do, as we do, only through our unconscious consent, so the first step in freeing ourselves from unseen sorrow is to deliberately bring ourselves into conscious awareness of its dark presence within us.

[MajestyJo]

Special Wishes For You

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

When you're lonely
I pray you feel God's love.
When you're down
I pray God gives you joy.
When you're troubled
I pray you know God's peace.
When things are complicated
I pray you find simple beauty.
When things are chaotic
I pray you are given inner silence.
When things look empty
I pray you know hope in Jesus.

~ Author Unknown ~

[MajestyJo]

Learn To Fly, Like A Butterfly

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTEz0QojLq6yuLHqb6L6HfINXeo7nfB5 I5hpquy9vJHjXe3g8Uf

The air is full of butterflies.
Flying so effortlessly in the sky.
No weight they carry, to hold them down.
Never a worry or a frown.

And yet not long ago, they were...
A crawling little... caterpillar.
I wonder if they knew they'd be...
A beautifully butterfly, flying so free.

They do not question how long they'll live...
But are happy with each day God gives.
They trust that he will always provide,
whatever they need...to survive.

So learn to trust...and fly away,
from cares and worries of today.
See how beautiful life can be...
Rely on Jesus, to supply your needs.
By: Valerie Bauer Rousseau

Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned,
in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content...But
my God shall supply all your needs according to his
riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Phil. 4:11 & 19 KJV

[MajestyJo]

https://media.giphy.com/media/RqFSy8k8fPlXa/giphy.gif

Look to this day, for it is life, the very life of life.
In its brief course lie all the realities and verities of existence.
The bliss of growth, the splendor of action, the glory of power.
And yesterday is but a dream, and tomorrow is only a vision.
But today - well lived - makes every yesterday
a dream of happiness,
and every tomorrow a vision of hope.
Look well, therefore, to this day.

- unknown to me

[MajestyJo]

One Caring Smile

https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ_NgNrHAxk3sK5zN2KnVKHSsk0U1GqO EEuPdlWPWbGLQvLGugX

Everything's gone
wrong today.
No one reacts to
anything you say.

No matter how much
you scream and cry,
the world seems to
be passing you by.

No one seems to notice or care,
that you are trying to be heard
over your despair.

But on one face a
smile shines through,
a smile that knows
and cares about you.

A smile with love to lend,
on a face you recognize
as a friend!

Original Source Unknown

Posted on my site The Gathering of Eagles

[MajestyJo]

My forst web site: Harmony and Peace

http://www.harmonyandpeace.i8.com/index.html


The Butterfly: http://www.harmonyandpeace.i8.com/butterfly1.html


Light and Love: http://www.harmonyandpeace.i8.com/light.html

Just Because: http://www.harmonyandpeace.i8.com/jb.html

...and more!


https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSERyovcp2veVkrOT-y0VnONxKs1osV1er4TKUAZc1rUnNVHtqa

[MajestyJo]

This is cute and food for thought. The thing is, that I posted it on another site in 2003, think of the cost of living in today.


The Cost of Kids

I have seen repeatedly the breakdown of the cost of raising a child, but this is the first time I have seen the rewards listed this way. It's nice,really nice!

The government recently calculated the cost of
raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140.00 for a middle income family. Talk about
sticker shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition.

But $160,140 isn't so bad if you break it down.
It translates into $8,896 year, $741.38 a month, or $171.08 a week. That's a mere $24.24 a day! Just over a dollar an hour.

Still, you might think the best financial advice says don't have children if you want to be "rich." It is just the opposite.

What do your get for your $160,140?

Naming rights,--- First, middle, and last!

Glimpses of God everyday.

Giggles under the covers every night.

More love than your heart can hold.

Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.

Endless wonder over rocks,ants,clouds,and warm cookies.

A hand to hold, usually covered with jam.

A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites, building sand castles, skipping down the sidewalk in the pouring rain.

Someone to laugh yourself silly with no matter
what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.

For $160,140, you never have to grow up.

You get to fingerprint, carve pumpkins, play hide-and-seek, catch lightning bugs, and never stop believing in Santa Claus.

You have an excuse to keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh, watching Saturday morning cartoons, going to Disneyland, and wishing on stars.

You get to frame rainbows, hearts,and flowers under refrigerator magnets,hand prints set in clay for Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's Day.

For $160,140, there is no greater bang for your buck.

You get to be a hero just for retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof, taking the training wheels off the bike, removing a splinter,filling a wading pool, coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.

You get a front row seat to history to witness the first step, first word, first bra, first date, and first time behind the wheel.

You get to be immortal.

You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren.

You get an education in psychology,nursing,criminal justice,
communications, and human sexuality that no college can match.

In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there with God.

You have all the power to heal a booboo,scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart,police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them without limits, so one day they will,like you, love without counting the cost.

ENJOY YOUR KIDS AND GRAND KIDS!
The Cost of Kids

Originally posted on "Why am I here on earth??
I have seen repeatedly the breakdown of the cost of raising a child, but
this is the first time I have seen the rewards listed this way. It's
nice,really nice!

The government recently calculated the cost of
raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140.00
for a middle income family. Talk about
sticker shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition.

But $160,140 isn't so bad if you break it down.
It translates into $8,896 year, $741.38 a month, or $171.08 a week.
That's a mere $24.24 a day! Just over a dollar an hour.

Still, you might think the best financial advice says don't have
children if you want to be "rich." It is just the
opposite.

What do your get for your $160,140?

Naming rights,--- First, middle, and last!

Glimpses of God everyday.

Giggles under the covers every night.

More love than your heart can hold.

Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.

Endless wonder over rocks,ants,clouds,and warm cookies.

A hand to hold, usually covered with jam.

A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites, building sand castles,
skipping down the sidewalk in the pouring rain.

Someone to laugh yourself silly with no matter
what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.

For $160,140, you never have to grow up.

You get to fingerprint, carve pumpkins,
play hide-and-seek, catch lightning bugs,
and never stop believing in Santa Claus.

You have an excuse to keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and
Pooh, watching Saturday morning cartoons, going
to Disneyland, and wishing on stars.

You get to frame rainbows, hearts,and
flowers under refrigerator magnets,hand prints set in clay for
Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's Day.

For $160,140, there is no greater bang for your buck.

You get to be a hero just for retrieving a Frisbee off the garage
roof, taking the training wheels off the bike, removing a
splinter,filling a wading pool, coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs,
and coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated
to ice cream regardless.

You get a front row seat to history to witness the first step,
first word, first bra, first date, and first time behind the wheel.
You get to be immortal.

You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're
lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called
grandchildren.

You get an education in psychology,nursing,criminal justice,
communications, and human sexuality that no college can match.

In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there with God.

You have all the power to heal a booboo,scare away the monsters
under the bed, patch a broken heart,police a slumber party,
ground them forever, and love them without
limits, so one day they will,like you, love without counting the cost.

ENJOY YOUR KIDS AND GRAND KIDS!

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/mammals-elephants-texts/0009.gif

[MajestyJo]

Love is a force. It is not a result; it is a cause. It is not a product; it produces. It is a power, like money, or steam or electricity. It is valueless unless you can give something else by means of it.

—Anne Morrow Lindbergh

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/mammals-elephants-love/0012.gif

My thought since I got up today was "Connect with someone."
When I read Just For Today this morning, it talked about isolation and I realize that the only person who I talked with for three days was my sponsor last night.

The last line of this quote gave me pause for thought. Not sure I understand the whole concept of what they meant yet because I haven't been awake long.

Yet it talks about giving, exchange of energy between on person and another. Giving from a place of love is a thing of power. It is a force being exchanged with others that we all may grow in body, mind and spirit. When we isolate, we are cut off from the spirit of love and isolate our soul.

Posted on another site in 2010

In order to give, we need to receive. We don`t always get back from the same source. Maybe the person we gave to is unable to give and in a place that does not allow him the understanding of Spiritual living.

We sometimes base our giving on money and what we can get out of it. That is NOT the spiritual way. A definite need for a change in attitude.

When you come from a place of love, you will not drain your energy, but renew it.

[MajestyJo]

A Hug For You

http://angelwinks.net/images/iq/qcbearshugging5.jpg

I've got a hug
Meant just for You
Warm and cuddly
Maybe even two.

And with this card
You will hear me say
"I hope things are fine
And to have a great day!"

My hug sends love
And best wishes, too,
I'll always have more
Just waiting for You!

©AngelWinks 2002

[MajestyJo]

Thoughts for the Day

Thursday, June 19, 2014

“Miracles happen every day,
change your perception of what a miracle is
and you'll see them all around you.”

Jon Bon Jovi

“Gratitude for the seemingly insignificant
— a seed –
this plants the giant miracle.”

Ann Voskamp

“Each one of you is a bundle of loving energy,
capable of creating anything you choose.
Miracles come from your love.
If you are willing to open your heart,
to love yourself and others,
life will always be a miracle.
The degree to which you are open and loving
is the degree to which miracles will come your way.”

Sanaya Roman & Duane Packer

http://www.angelwinks.net/images/bowser/bowser11.jpg

[MajestyJo]

JUST FOR TODAY!

Within

from: "Source of Strength"

http://angelwinks.net/images/kayomi/kayomi34.jpg

"I need power each day, because I get weary. But with A.A. as my structure and God as my source of strength, I can face life without taking a drink. I don't have to stare out my window in total despair any more. The ocean and the sun and the trees and all the fantastic beauty that God has created have finally become very real to me. I crave and need the presence of nature. But I must also bear in mind that it is the spirit within me, which comes from God, that is going to be the healing force."

© 1973, Came to Believe..., page 103

= The Hoffelds

JUST FOR TODAY:

For me, when I surrendered and said, "My way isn't working, the Spirit was given to me and it was my believe that it was there, the trusting in that new source of power, and my continual feeding of the Spirit which allowed it to grow. It became a Source so much more powerful than I could have ever imagined, and it has been my mainstay through all tribulation.

The Spirit is there, the Light is within, it is whether I choose to smother it, or nurture it within my soul as to how much it can do for me, one day at a time.

Posted in 2004, an affirmation of something I posted earlier, and it is just as good in today.

[MajestyJo]

Perfectionists and workaholics ignore the present moment by focusing on activities and circumstances. Bored individuals ignore the present moment by pushing circumstances away.

- Gary Zukav and Linda Francis

I am reminded that this is part of my disease. Playing the blame game, denial, and looking at people, places and things so I don't have to look at myself.

Addicted to busy. Addicted to getting things just right. Projecting either into the future or looking over our shoulders and blaming the past for our action in today.

Recovery is about change. It is about living in today. What happened in my past, does not have to happen in today or in the future if I take my program with me.

For so much of my life, it was, "I don't have to look at me when I am looking at you." I gave up my power. I allowed the people around me to dictate my life.

I had to come face to face with me. I found me in the rooms of recovery. It is a program of reflection. When I hear you talking, I know that it is me trying to get my attention.

My sponsor told me that I had to do was look at how I was looking at you to know what was going on with me!

When I look at what was, there has been change. When I look at what needs to be done (I didn't get this way overnight or even in 19 years), I know there is still lots of work to be done. Other times I look and I have seen I have taken a step back, detoured or stood still. Thanks to the program, I can take it all to my Higher Power and ask His Help. There are no quick fixes, there are no destinations, what we have is a journey!


Something I posted on another site in 2011.

I am grateful that I am coming up on 23 years of sobriety, God Wiling.

It is a one day at a time journey, and still walking it today. It isn't about the drugs and alcohol in today, it is my emotional sobriety. If I evade my emotions and what is happening in my life, I get sick and it can take me back to the drug I choose in the moment.

I need to change the old so it can transform and become a new way of life.

https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR-1GFxR8f9RwQMGbmaPN1e-ZI17WRy0skWuDKywzAEd5GSxixb

[MajestyJo]

love hate
desire aversion
joy sadness
fear courage
hope despair
happiness anger
acceptance/rejection

Received this list from a friend and added the last one myself.

Feel the feelings and do it anyway.
Just because you have a feeling, doesn't mean you have act on it.
Feel it, label it, know it for what it is. Don't try to shove it away, bury it, ignore it, but allow yourself to feel so you can heal.

“They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.”

- Carl W. Buechner

“You can close your eyes to the things you do not want to see, but you cannot close your heart to the things you do not want to feel.”

- lstyd

Some of my favorite recovery sayings are:

"Feel the fear and do it any way."

FEAR

- Face everythings and recover

- Flee everything and run

When I was three and my brother was two, I saw him killed and blamed myself for his death. From that time onward, I shoved down the feelings and didn't want to feel. I have no visual of this event, all I had were the words in my head, "Dougie come out of the way." I thought because he was coming to me, I killed him. What I didn't know until I learned in my 50s from my aunt, was that I had nominated myself as his caretaker the day he was born. A lot to take on 9 days before her 2nd birthday.

Make the journey from your head to your heart.

Posted on another site in 2010

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSTgRAv5Pst1uKokXu-eyaw5R1TxEq9CvO7f0v3vHOKJyldrbUX

[MajestyJo]

Heal Your Life

I receive the word of Love clearly and easily. I enjoy receiving and following the Divine guidance that I hear. My spiritual ears are open, now.

Doreen Virtue


Have a lot of angel cards that she has written.

http://www.angelwinks.net/images/angel217.jpg

[MajestyJo]

Something I posted in 2004 on another site. It could be a repeat of something here. :(

KEEPERS

I grew up in the fifties with practical parents -- a Mother, God love her, who washed aluminum foil after she cooked in it, then reused it. She was the original recycle queen, before they had a name for it...

Father who was happier getting old shoes fixed than buying new ones.

Their marriage was good, their dreams focused. Their best friends lived barely a wave away. I can see them now, Dad in trousers, tee shirt and a hat and Mom in a house dress, lawn mower in one hand, dishtowel in the other.

It was the time for fixing things -- a curtain rod, the kitchen radio, screen door, the oven door, the hem in a dress. Things we keep.

It was a way of life, and sometimes it made me crazy.

All that re-fixing, reheating, renewing, I wanted just once to be wasteful. Waste meant affluence. Throwing things away meant you knew there'd always be more.

But then my Mother died, and on that clear summer's night, in the warmth of the hospital room, I was struck with the pain of learning that sometimes there isn't any 'more.'

Sometimes, what we care about most gets all used up and goes away...never to return.

So...while we have it...it's best we love it.....and care for it.....and fix it when it's broken.....and heal it when it's sick.

This is true.....for marriage.....and old cars.....and children with bad report cards.....and dogs with bad hips.....and aging parents.....and grandparents.

We keep them because they are worth it, because we are worth it.

Some things we keep.

Like a best friend that moved away -- or -- a classmate we grew up with.

There are just some things that make life important, like people we know who are special.....and so, we keep them close!

I received this from someone who thought I was a 'keeper'! Then I sent it to the people I think of in the same way. Now it's your turn to send this to those people that are "keepers" in your life.I grew up in the fifties with practical parents -- a Mother, God love her, who washed aluminum foil after she cooked in it, then reused it. She was the original recycle queen, before they had a name for it...

Father who was happier getting old shoes fixed than buying new ones.

Their marriage was good, their dreams focused. Their best friends lived barely a wave away. I can see them now, Dad in trousers, tee shirt and a hat and Mom in a house dress, lawn mower in one hand, dishtowel in the other.

It was the time for fixing things -- a curtain rod, the kitchen radio, screen door, the oven door, the hem in a dress. Things we keep.

It was a way of life, and sometimes it made me crazy.

All that re-fixing, reheating, renewing, I wanted just once to be wasteful. Waste meant affluence. Throwing things away meant you knew there'd always be more.

But then my Mother died, and on that clear summer's night, in the warmth of the hospital room, I was struck with the pain of learning that sometimes there isn't any 'more.'

Sometimes, what we care about most gets all used up and goes away...never to return.

So...while we have it...it's best we love it.....and care for it.....and fix it when it's broken.....and heal it when it's sick.

This is true.....for marriage.....and old cars.....and children with bad report cards.....and dogs with bad hips.....and aging parents.....and grandparents.

We keep them because they are worth it, because we are worth it.

Some things we keep.

Like a best friend that moved away -- or -- a classmate we grew up with.

There are just some things that make life important, like people we know who are special.....and so, we keep them close!

I received this from someone who thought I was a 'keeper'! Then I sent it to the people I think of in the same way. Now it's your turn to send this to those people that are "keepers" in your life.

http://angelwinks.net/images/animatedpod/animatedpod1078.gif

[MajestyJo]

I argued with my sponsor about God. He wrote on a piece of paper: 'God as I understand God is...' and said, 'Go home and finish this sentence. So, I thought about this for a long time, then wrote pages and pages about what I thought was the quintessential distillation of every theory, every religious notion about God. And here I had created the perfect one. I took it back to him, he didn't even look at it, he just crumpled it up and said: 'Good, now go home and pray to it.' - John L.

- Alkiespeaks

This affirms something that I am a firm believer of, it doesn't matter what your concept is of God is, as long as you get a picture in your own mind, and you in turn pray to it.

It is "God" as I understand Him. Many change it to read "God as I understand God." When you get to Step Three, it changes to "God as we understood Him."

I find an understanding, and that understanding changes over time and as I have said many times, "God is as He reveals Himself to me in today.

I have to be aware. I have to connect. I have to learn to trust. I have to learn to wait on His time, not mine. It is always good to pray and close with "Thy will, not mine be done."

A quiet is never remiss. A continuing literary praying for the same thing over and over again, shows lack of trust. I think I used the right word. As I heard a priest (he became one in recovery and has over 50 years sober) say, "It is a wonder God doesn't lean over the side of heaven and say, "Will you all just shut up!"

He also made me aware that our inventory and recovery is in today, not about what was, but what is in today. Pray and God will see you through it.


Posted in 2011

When something from my past comes into my thoughts in today, I do a 4th and 5th Step on the situation. As new things come up in today, I do a 10th Step, call my sponsor, and if needed will do a 4th to deal with the feelings and check to see if today is rooted in the past.

Don't let the past take over your today.

http://angelwinks.net/images/secretpal/secretpal64.jpg

Sorry if some are reruns. They were brouught to my attention today, so thought I would share them with you.

[MajestyJo]

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTwhbIzdHFuvmAv5QspO__7tigelBLJ7 lREpYEgjEen-AFsThjW

Didn't find recovery until I was 49 years old. I thought I had missed out on life, only to find a new beginning to a wonderful new way of living. When I was two years sober, I wanted to stand on the top of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (just newly built), and say, "Hey People, I have found a new way to live, let me tell you all about it. Ten years later, thanks to the internet, I was telling the world. Here I am 20 years later, still carrying the message of recovery and how it has worked for me.

When you look at each day as a new beginning and think of yourself as a newcomer, the blessings are bountiful. I don't mean monitary values, although some achieve it, my blessings have been priceless. The biggest gift is finding myself.

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTt6Gy5Gntn9naYkMKzGFZFHYuFVyk57 I4OQ-Y7_lNFDKpPEoXD

[MajestyJo]

Someone has written these beautiful words. Try to understand the deep meanings in them.

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/meteo-sunny-landscapes/0030.gif

They are "like" the Ten Commandments meant to be followed in life all the time.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


1] Prayer is not a "spare wheel" that you pull out when in trouble; it is a "steering wheel" that directs us in the right path throughout life.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2] Do you know why a car's WINDSHIELD is so large and the rear view mirror is so small? Because our PAST is not as important as our FUTURE. So, look ahead and move on.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3] Friendship is like a BOOK. It takes few seconds to burn, but it takes years to write.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4] All things in life are temporary. If going well enjoy it, they will not last forever. If going wrong don't worry, they can't last long either.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5] Old friends are like Gold! New friends are Diamonds! If you get a Diamond, don't forget the Gold! Because to hold a Diamond, you always need a base of Gold!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6] Often when we lose hope and think this is the end, GOD smiles from above and says, "Relax, sweetheart, it's just a bend, not the end!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7] When GOD solves your problems, you have faith in HIS abilities; when GOD doesn't solve your problems HE has faith in your abilities.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8] A blind person asked St. Anthony: "Can there be anything worse than losing eye sight?" He replied: "Yes, losing your vision."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9] When you pray for others, God listens to you and blesses them; and sometimes, when you are safe and happy, remember that someone has prayed for you.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10] WORRYING does not take away tomorrow's TROUBLES; it takes away today's PEACE.

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/meteo-sunny-landscapes/0027.gif

This could be a repeat, just not sure where it is posted. As Bluidkiti said to me several years ago, "It doesn't matter, it speaks to you in today."

[MajestyJo]

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/insects-butterflies/0346.gif

http://www.angel9oh7.com/gbbutterflyfrndship.html

[MajestyJo]

Man needs difficulties; they are necessary for health.

- Carl Jung

http://angelwinks.net/images/humorpod/humorpod65.gif

In early recovery, due to a much needed 'attitude' adjustment, I remember scoffing at the phrase "If you didn't have difficult moments, you wouldn't be able to enjoy or recognize the good ones when they came."

Of course, I wanted everything yesterday. I wanted the quick fix, and the "now I have quit drinking" syndrome made me think that everything should be going my way and how dare anything or anyone rain on my parade.

We tend to forget that we didn't get sick overnight and we don't heal and get better overnight, especially if we are not willing to do any work on changing our lives, our attitude and the people, place and things that were apart of our journey to get here.

Why should I get cravings just because I choose to go visit my old 'buddies' in the bar? Why shouldn't I feel like I want to substitute my drug of choice for a little weed when I go and visit my best friend, who I met the last time I was in jail. Why shouldn't I be happy, joyous and free even though I am acting out in my old ways and still being mentally, emotionally and physically abusive to those around me. There is nothing wrong with me anymore, I don't drink. It is everyone else's fault. Life would be so better if people would just do what I .......

The great "I" am, if I don't lose it, I will lose it. Sobriety that is!

Another post from 2004.

When I read these old posts, it reminds me that this is a one day at a time program. Here it is 10 years later, I can still get into these thoughts. The good things are the tools of recovery.

[MajestyJo]

"Take Advantage of the Storm"

By Bob Perks

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS-I0XsUuHM7Rd4pfzfoXiV4q1T3tGQBgefNhRGNzOTZCsYaIK0

Answers to life can be found in everyday events.

Watching nature, watching people and watching
animals interact with each other provides some
of the simplest solutions to life's biggest problems.

This became more apparent to me yesterday.

It caused me to ask myself, "How do I respond to the storms in life?"

People run when it starts to rain. I love to walk in it.

My wife, hates thunder. I love to stand on my front porch and feel it. I grew up doing it and never really felt the fear many people do when a bolt of lightening flashes and the windows rattle in my house.

I remember a religious sister telling how wonderful the storm was the night before. "Oh, the power of God!" she proclaimed.

They have proven that the animal world senses far in advance changes in the weather, earthquakes, tsunamis and approaching storms.

My dog, Ricky begins to shake long before the storm is close enough to notice.

I was about to feed my three dogs yesterday and as usual, I let them out in the yard first.

They weren't even off the deck when thunder rolled across the skies and they did an immediate about face.

I have learned long ago that there is no sense forcing them to remain there. They will accomplish nothing.

So, I placed their food in their bowls and called Ricky into the kitchen. If he could have crawled any closer to the floor he'd be a snake.

I thought he'd never eat, but he began to do so and I walked away.

Phil shakes like one of those old electric football games that vibrated the players across the field. So I expected nothing from him.

Upon my return to the kitchen Ricky was just standing there in place next to his bowl.

I always mix a little white meat chicken in his food. He apparently was brave enough to eat some it right out of the dry food leaving most everything else.

The thunder became louder and more frequent. The wind caused a few branches to bang against the roof thus forcing him to abandon his meal.

I urged him to go lie down and he did.

Then I watched Phil. Shaking like a wind up toy he made his way across the tiled kitchen floor and stood over Ricky's bowl.

He ate all the remaining tiny pieces of chicken and a few of the dry.

Normally, if Ricky was standing there, he wouldn't dare come close.

But today, he took advantage of the storm.

In spite of his fear, he saw an opportunity to get what he wanted. His desire for the prize outweighed his fear of the storm.

That's when it hit me. There was a powerful lesson in it for me and I hope for you.

As humans we face all kinds of storms. They roll in unannounced, pass through quickly or stay for much too long.

Sometimes we crawl into a corner or pull the blankets of false security over our heads and shake and shiver praying it will all pass so we can get on with life.

If you dare stick your head out for a moment you might be surprised to discover there are people out there in the same storms doing what they must do to get what they must have out of life.

Most storms are like those natural storms. Yes, there is the reality of experiencing some damage or loss, but for the most part they are all thunder and lightening putting on a show of God's magnificent power.

Isn't it time you decided too?

"Take Advantage of the Storm?"

I think this may be a rerun, but it gave me pause for thought, so I am sharing it with you.

[MajestyJo]

-------------------------------------------------
MountainWings A MountainWings Moment
#4055 Wings Over The Mountains of Life
-------------------------------------------------

Warning Light
=============

Today I was driving in my truck up a busy street,
talking out loud to God, as I sometimes do.

I glanced down at my gas gauge for the 10th time only to see that I was still on empty, and the orange glow of the warning light was still very much glowing at me.

I had been telling God that I didn't know what to do and that I was in need of His wisdom.

My car insurance was due yesterday, my truck payment is 3 months overdue, my cell phone was turned off,
(I suffer from anxiety and panic attacks so that is a big one for me).

I am on medical disability for my anxiety, no job and very broke.

I explained to God that something really needed to change, and that I am at my end and can't do this anymore.

Now, let me explain something to you.

I believe in God. I attend an awesome church but not as
regularly as I should. I have a Bible but don't pick it up to read it as often as I should. I have so many opportunities to attend small group studies with my church and even get togethers, but I don't.

That's when it hit me.

I was running on empty.

My spiritual Warning Light has been glowing orange for months now, and I have just kept on going; filling up just enough to get me by, like I do with my gas tank, fill up with just $10.00 worth of gas to get me to the next week.

I didn't get the meaning of it until today. It hit me.

I was actually having a MountainWings moment, and I was excited.

I pulled over and thanked God for showing me what changes I needed to make, what I had to do to fill myself with spiritual fuel.

It was so simple that I had to laugh about it.

It's amazing how we talk to God, and yet sometimes never really open ourselves to listen for his reply.

~A MountainWings Original by Lisa Gizman, Lewiston, ID~

This was sent to me by a friend, and as they say, "God works through people, places and things."

It was because of a spiritual awareness like this that brought me to this site. I know that I can't just 'get by' and that I need spiritual food and I thank you all for being a part of my daily diet.

From 2004

The same is true in today, without you there is no me.

http://www.angelwinks.net/images/angel159.jpg

[MajestyJo]

Self Massage

There are simple massage techniques you can do it yourself. This is a great "pick-me-up" after a hard day of work. You can also get benefits of massage by immersing yourself in a Jacuzzi with the water doing the massaging.

Many massage and wellness centers offer workshops on massages and partner massages. It may be worthwhile going for a workshop to get some familiarity with this technique.

For the exercises given below you don’t need anything other than a few tennis balls, a quiet corner and your own two hands.

Head

Pressure points in your skull can relax your whole body. There are two very significant acupressure points at the base of the skull on what's called the occipital ridge. If you apply consistent pressure there, you can achieve total relaxation.

How do you find these points and apply pressure on those spots? There is a simple solution. Put two tennis balls in a sock and tie the end. Lie on your back on the floor and place the sock behind the upper neck, so that the two balls each touch the skull ridge that's right above the hollow spot. Stay like that for 20 minutes. If you like, you can listen to soothing music. The pressure on those acupressure points send messages down the spinal column to relax all the muscles and it is very effective.

Face

Just touch your face. There's no need to knead it. With a very light touch, cup your cheeks and temples with your hands using no more pressure than the weight of a nickel. Hold your hands there for a minute. The warmth of the hands relaxes the muscles and connective tissue, bringing on an overall sense of relief.

Jaw

Pull the sides of your ears gently straight outward, then straight up, then straight down. Or, with your index finger, press the tender spot next to your earlobe where it attaches to your head. Press and release. Now do it on the other ear. Repeat, alternating ears, 10 to 15 times.

Torso

Get a quick boost by rubbing the area above your kidneys. That's at waist level where the tissue is still soft. Rub briskly with your fists in a circular motion. This energizes the whole body.

Feet

Foot massage is very soothing. After you try the following techniques on one foot, switch feet and repeat.
Sit on a chair and place one foot on the opposite thigh. Rub some massage oil or lotion onto your foot if you like. Apply pressure with your thumbs to the sole of your foot, working from the bottom of your arch to the top near your big toe. Repeat five times.

Make a fist and press your knuckles into the bottom of your foot, moving from your heel to your toes. Repeat five times.

Massage each toe by holding it firmly and moving it from side to side. Extend each toe gently out and away from the ball of your foot. Then apply pressure to the areas between your toes.

Hold your toes in one hand and bend them backward holding them there for five to ten seconds. Then bend them in the opposite direction and hold for five to ten seconds. Repeat three times.
Press and roll your thumbs between the bones of the ball of your foot.

=============================

Tip of the Day for March 08, 2004 from the Five As

Still sounds usable in March 25, 2013

Nothing soothes like a hot rice pack on the back of your neck or
wherever aches you most. The simplest way to create one is with an intact tube sock or pillow case. Just pour in several cups of dry, raw rice--any rice except instant rice works fine. Tie the sock or pillow case closed with a good knot.

Toss your sack in the microwave for about two minutes or so, until it reaches the perfect hot temperature to relax any muscle spasm.

Heating time depends on the size of your sack and the strength of
your microwave. When it begins to cool, place it directly on your
clothes or skin. Rice sacks heat up more intensely than electric
heating pads and are much safer. Their flexible consistency is
particularly soothing.

(Source: "Ten Tips on Living with Fibromyalgia Syndrome" by Deborah A. Barrett, Ph.D.
www.paintracking.com.) This tip provided courtesy of
ImmuneSupport.com

[MajestyJo]

Exercise: A Healthy Habit to Start and Keep


How much exercise do I need?
Talk to your doctor about how much exercise is right for you. A good
goal for many people is to work up to exercising 4 to 6 times a week
for 30 to 60 minutes at a time. Remember, though, that exercise has
so many benefits that any amount is better than none.

How do I get started?

Sneak exercise into your day
a.. Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
b.. Go for a walk during your coffee break or lunch.
c.. Walk all or part of the way to work.
d.. Do housework at a fast pace.
e.. Rake leaves or do other yard work.

Start by talking with your doctor. This is especially important if
you haven't been active, if you have any health problems, or if
you're pregnant or elderly.

Start out slowly. If you've been inactive for years, you can't run
the Boston Marathon after 2 weeks of training. Begin with a 10-minute
period of light exercise or a brisk walk every day and gradually
increase how hard you exercise and for how long.

How do I stick with it?
Here are some tips that will help you start and stick with an
exercise program:

· Choose something you like to do. Make sure it suits you
physically, too. For instance, swimming is easier on arthritic joints.

· Get a partner. Exercising with someone else can make it
more fun.

· Vary your routine. You may be less likely to get bored or
injured if you change your routine. Walk one day. Bicycle the next.
Consider activities like dancing and racquet sports, and even chores
like chopping wood.

· Choose a comfortable time of day. Don't work out too soon
after eating or when it's too hot or cold outside. Wait until later
in the day if you're too stiff in the morning.

· Don't get discouraged. It can take weeks or months before
you notice some of the changes from exercise.

· Forget "no pain, no gain." While a little soreness is
normal after you first start exercising, pain isn't. Stop if you hurt.

· Make exercise fun. Read, listen to music or watch TV while
riding a stationary bicycle, for example. Find fun things to do, like
taking a walk through the zoo. Go dancing. Learn how to play tennis.

Making exercise a habit

a.. Stick to a regular time every day.
b.. Sign a contract committing yourself to exercise.
c.. Put "exercise appointments" on your calendar.
d.. Keep a daily log or diary of your activities.
e.. Check your progress. Can you walk a certain distance
faster now than when you began? Or is your heart rate slower now?
f.. Ask your doctor to write a prescription for your exercise
program, such as what type of exercise to do, how often to exercise
and for how long.
g.. Think about joining a health club. The cost gives some
people an incentive to exercise regularly.

How can I prevent injuries?
Start every workout with a warm-up. That will make your muscles and
joints more flexible. Spend 5 to 10 minutes doing some light
calisthenics and stretching exercises, and perhaps brisk walking. Do
the same thing when you're done working out--until your heart rate
returns to normal.

Pay attention to your body. Stop exercising if you feel very out of
breath, dizzy, faint or nauseated, or have pain.

Benefits of regular exercise
a.. Reduces your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure,
osteoporosis, diabetes and obesity
b.. Keeps joints, tendons and ligaments flexible so it's
easier to move around
c.. Reduces some of the effects of aging
d.. Contributes to your mental well-being and helps treat
depression
e.. Helps relieve stress and anxiety
f.. Increases your energy and endurance
g.. Helps you sleep better
h.. Helps you maintain a normal weight by increasing your
metabolism (the rate you burn calories).

What is a target heart rate?

Measuring your heart rate (beats per minute) can tell you how hard
your heart is working. You can check your heart rate by counting your
pulse for 15 seconds and multiplying the beats by 4.

The chart to the right shows the target heart rates for people of
different ages. When you're just beginning an exercise program, shoot
for the lower target heart rate (60%). As your fitness improves, you
can exercise harder to get your heart rate closer to the top number
(85%).

What is aerobic exercise?
Aerobic exercise is the type that moves large muscle groups and
causes you to breathe more deeply and your heart to work harder to
pump blood.

It's also called cardiovascular exercise. It improves the health of
your heart and lungs.

Examples include walking, jogging, running, aerobic dance, bicycling,
rowing, swimming and cross-country skiing.

What is weight-bearing exercise?
The term weight-bearing is used to describe exercises that work
against the force of gravity. Weight-bearing exercise is important
for building strong bones. Having strong bones helps prevent
osteoporosis and bone fractures later in life.

Examples of weight-bearing exercises include walking, jogging,
hiking, climbing stairs, dancing and weight training.

What about weight training?
Weight training, or strength training, builds strength and muscles.
Calisthenics like push-ups are weight-training exercises too. Lifting
weights is a weight-training exercise. If you have high blood
pressure or other health problems, talk to your family doctor before
beginning weight training.

What is the best exercise?
The best exercise is the one that you will do. Walking is considered
one of the best choices because it's easy, safe and cheap. Brisk
walking can burn as many calories as running, but is less likely than
running or jogging to cause injuries. And it doesn't require any
training or special equipment, except for good shoes.

Walking is an aerobic and weight-bearing exercise, so it is good for
your heart and helps prevent osteoporosis.

O M S H A N T I

Love, Samuel

Please include a link back to The Antesian Road To Enlightenment
in forwarded material, Thank you.

antesianroadtoenlightenment-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

EXPANDING CONSCIOUSNESS

==================================

We may not be able to do all of it, but we can do some.

It is important to keep our mind and body, exercised as well as our spiritual.

Doing the things mentioned above can help us stay centered and balanced.

Self-Care is important. What good is getting sober, if we fall apart and don't learn to become whole.

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/countries-usa-native/0041.gif

[MajestyJo]

Friends Forever Near

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/phone-240x320-girls/0019.gif

As we walk along our path of life,
We meet people every day.
Most are simply met by chance,
But some are sent our way.
These become the special friends,
Whose bond we can't explain...
The ones who understand us,
And share our joy and pain.

Their love contains no boundaries,
So even when apart,
Their presence still embraces us,
With a warmth felt in the heart.

This love becomes a passageway
Where even the miles disappear,
And the special friends life sends our way,
Remain forever near.

- unknown

[MajestyJo]

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/mammals-mice-7/0004.gif


Yesterday I met a stranger... Today this stranger is my friend.
Had I not taken the time to say hello, or return a smile, or shake
a hand, or listen, I would not have known this person.

Yesterday would have turned into today and our chance meeting
would be gone.

Yesterday I hugged someone very dear to me. Today they are
gone... and tomorrow will not bring them back.

Wouldn't it be nice if we all knew tomorrow would be here? But
this is not to be, so take the time TODAY to give a hug, a smile,
an "I love you."

JUST FOR TODAY... smile at a stranger, listen to someone's heart, drop a coin where a child can find it ...learn something new, then teach it to someone ...tell someone you're thinking of them, hug a loved one, don't hold a grudge!

Look a child in the eye and tell them how great they are don't
kill that spider in your house, he's just lost so show him the way
out.

Look beyond the face of a person into their heart make a
promise, and keep it.

Call someone, for no other reason than to just say "hi"
...show kindness to an animal, stand up for what you believe in,
smell the rain, feel the breeze, listen to the wind use all your
senses to their fullest cherish all your TODAYS.

- - unknown

[MajestyJo]

http://www.whats-your-sign.com/images/SymbolicPenguinFacts1.jpg

Tonight while starting my meditation, I found myself reaching for a little figurine I have on my desk, a little penguin, with a red hat with a yellow tassel and a blue scarf.

The penguin as a totem means:

http://www.whats-your-sign.com/images/SymbolicPenguinFacts1.jpg

Colours:

http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/chakras/a/ChakraSounds.htm

Look at what colour you are wearing. Look at what colour your eyes are drawn to, perhaps your body is in need of it.

Listen to your body, what is it telling you? What is around you? Are there messages from the Creator put in your path. Did God put an ant in your path telling you to be patient?

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/insects-ants/0044.gif

[MajestyJo]

From time to time, I will share my own personal awareness on a topic and the gift that has been given to me as a result of working my program. It is just my experience, strength and hope, and isn't meant to represent any one fellowship. It is my truth, not someone else's or my interruption of what I heard or read.

From Alkie Speaks:

I realized I had a body which can't tolerate alcohol, which is OK. except that I had a mind that can't leave it alone. I'd always said that I could take it or leave it alone - I couldn't do either.

- Doug D.

Because I had a high tolerance for alcohol, I thought I wasn't an alcoholic. I labelled my dad and my ex-husband as alcohlics because they passed out, fell down, staggered, were violent, couldn't walk or drive a straight line. I once said to my dad, "You drove in that condition?" He had just come from his girlfriend's. He looked at me and said, "Well I certainly couldn't walk and proceeded to fall flat on his face and I had to help him to bed.

The reality was that I could match them drink for drink, drive them home, function and resented them for drinking all the booze, before they passed out. I wanted to party and there wasn't much for me. That is when I started hiding my booze. I couldn't have consumed all that liquor and been sober although I never saw myself as drunk. There was only a couple of times that I recall taking the stairs on my hands and knees.

When I saw myself in my dream, because I was wearing red high-heeled shoes and walking a straight line, I was sober. Then I saw myself in living colour and saw the person I changed into when I did drink. It wasn't what or how much I drank. It was what it did to me when I did drink it.

[MajestyJo]

Some people are not capable of listening and there are others who do not care. I was chairing a meeting at my home group one night. A member shared, then proceeded to clean out his wallet, making a lot of noise and fidgeting in his seat. When the person sharing paused, I said, "Excuse me," I said, to the person making the noise, "When you shared, the rest of us did you the courtesy of being quiet and listening, I think it is only right that you do the same thing." I apologized to the person sharing for interrupting, although I had waited until I thought they were almost finished before doing so. This was done at the beginning of the meeting and I saw people giving the guy looks, and I didn't want people getting up and leaving. Our primary purpose is to carry the message of recovery.

The next time I saw him, he was using the church phone, which we were not permitted to do, and I had to call him on that. He told me to make like a duck and flock off. The next time I saw him was very embarrassing. I was talking to a man who I had never seen before. I had just shared my story. He came up to me, put his arm around me and called my Jo Hun, can you loan me a quarter? If look could kill, he would have been dead. I never saw the man again. ;)

We are all human. Thank God for this program.

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/avatars-100x100-creatures/0037.gif

[MajestyJo]

IT'S STRANGE ISN'T IT

1. Isn't it strange how a 20 dollar bill seems like such a large amount when you donate it to church, but such a small amount when you go shopping?


2. Isn't it strange how 2 hours seem so long when you're at church, and how short they seem when you're watching a good movie?


3. Isn't it strange that you can't find a word to say when you're praying, but you have no trouble thinking what to talk about with a friend?


4. Isn't it strange how difficult and boring it is to read one chapter of the Bible, but how easy it is to read 100 pages of a popular novel or ZANE GREY book


5. Isn't it strange how everyone wants front-row-tickets to concerts or games, but they do whatever is possible to sit at the last row in Church?


6. Isn't it strange how we need to know about an event for Church 2-3 weeks before the day so we can include it in our agenda, but we can adjust it for other events at the last minute?


7. Isn't it strange how difficult it is to learn a fact about God to share it with others, but how easy it is to learn, understand, extend and repeat gossip?


8. Isn't it strange how we believe everything that magazines and newspapers say, but we question the words in the Bible?


9. Isn't it strange how everyone wants a place in heaven, but they don't want to believe, do, or say anything to get there?


10. Isn't it strange how we send jokes in e-mails and they are forwarded right away, but when we are going to send messages about God, we think about it twice before we share it with others?


IT'S STRANGE ISN'T IT?


This email was cleaned by emailStripper, available for free from http://www.papercut.biz/emailStripper.htm

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/religion-angels/0162.gif

[MajestyJo]

A Recipe From Heaven


Mix sugar 'n spice 'n everything nice
With a helping of kindness, sifted twice.


Combine with caring and generous loving
tenderly shape, and warm in the oven


Sprinkle on hugs with wide-open arms,
trim with a smile, for even more charm.


Glaze with joy, and when it's all through,
It'll be one sweet cookie . . .

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSM9-PeVUU6gMf9b0BZpNjM5UY6Ijl-vRq5kYZyVknhVrUN3YA

THAT'S YOU!

Life is sweeter because of you!

[MajestyJo]

How aware are you? Here is another tip on "getting control" from Higher Awareness.

The shocking fact is that most of us are unconscious of 80% of what we do, think and say. WE'RE NOT AWARE of our defenses, our emotional reactions, our beliefs and deep-seated habits. Of our fears, negative self-talk and judgments.

Why is this so important? Because THESE UNCONSCIOUS FORCES ARE RUNNING OUR LIVES! When we're not aware, we stay stuck in patterns that limit our ability to enjoy life. In fact, we stay stuck in patterns that cause us pain. Without awareness, we don't know how to think, create, love and reap the bounty of our world.

If you want to gain more control in your life, you will need to cultivate greater awareness. It's the MOST POWERFUL RESOURCE we have to effect change.

To be aware, we must STOP AND PAY ATTENTION. We must pull back our perspective to impartially observe what we are doing, feeling and thinking and what is going on around us. This detachment allows us to recognize our automatic patterns and reactions. And new insights let us break free of our patterns and defences. This allows us to choose something different for ourselves, if we want.

If we are unconscious, our future is created from our past, through patterns in our subconscious. If we are aware and conscious, our future is created anew in each moment.

Do you want to go through life on auto-pilot, letting old tapes dictate how you act? Or do you want to truly live life by clearly seeing the choices before you, and claiming your power to choose what you most want? It's up to you.

"To acquire knowledge, one must study; but to acquire wisdom, one must observe." -- Marilyn vos Savant

=======================================

As I have grown in recovery I have found that there have been stages where I seemed to get a shot of awareness, and I have to look at things, and do something about them. If I don't then I become uncomfortable in my own skin, and I can end up substituting other "things" and start looking for something or someone outside of myself to make me feel better.

For me, my conscious contact with my Higher Power is a connection I can not afford to lose or even slacken even a little bit. My disease is cunning, baffling and powerful and it just seems to be waiting for that moment that it can sneak back into my life. I don't have to physically pick up to have a relapse.

As we detox, go to meetings, listen to others, work the steps, and we heal and get to know ourselves and our Higher Power and His will for us, our life unfolds and we grow into the person He would have us be, one day at a time.

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/mammals-bears-sitting/0065.gif

[MajestyJo]

How aware are you? Here is another tip on "getting control" from Higher Awareness.

The shocking fact is that most of us are unconscious of 80% of what we do, think and say. WE'RE NOT AWARE of our defenses, our emotional reactions, our beliefs and deep-seated habits. Of our fears, negative self-talk and judgments.

Why is this so important? Because THESE UNCONSCIOUS FORCES ARE RUNNING OUR LIVES! When we're not aware, we stay stuck in patterns that limit our ability to enjoy life. In fact, we stay stuck in patterns that cause us pain. Without awareness, we don't know how to think, create, love and reap the bounty of our world.

If you want to gain more control in your life, you will need to cultivate greater awareness. It's the MOST POWERFUL RESOURCE we have to effect change.

To be aware, we must STOP AND PAY ATTENTION. We must pull back our perspective to impartially observe what we are doing, feeling and thinking and what is going on around us. This detachment allows us to recognize our automatic patterns and reactions. And new insights let us break free of our patterns and defences. This allows us to choose something different for ourselves, if we want.

If we are unconscious, our future is created from our past, through patterns in our subconscious. If we are aware and conscious, our future is created anew in each moment.

Do you want to go through life on auto-pilot, letting old tapes dictate how you act? Or do you want to truly live life by clearly seeing the choices before you, and claiming your power to choose what you most want? It's up to you.

"To acquire knowledge, one must study; but to acquire wisdom, one must observe." -- Marilyn vos Savant

=======================================

As I have grown in recovery I have found that there have been stages where I seemed to get a shot of awareness, and I have to look at things, and do something about them. If I don't then I become uncomfortable in my own skin, and I can end up substituting other "things" and start looking for something or someone outside of myself to make me feel better.

For me, my conscious contact with my Higher Power is a connection I can not afford to lose or even slacken even a little bit. My disease is cunning, baffling and powerful and it just seems to be waiting for that moment that it can sneak back into my life. I don't have to physically pick up to have a relapse.

As we detox, go to meetings, listen to others, work the steps, and we heal and get to know ourselves and our Higher Power and His will for us, our life unfolds and we grow into the person He would have us be, one day at a time.

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/mammals-bears-sitting/0065.gif

[MajestyJo]

A Life of My Own

http://angelwinks.ca/images/nostalgicpod/nostalgicpod70.jpg

When we do for other people what they should do for themselves, we both stay stuck.

Perhaps it's human nature to grow and change only when we have to. Unrelenting pain can serve as a motivator. Sometimes ultimatums are effective too. But making excuses for others or taking over their responsibilities, even when it's for their benefit, never inspires change. Most of us came into the program because we wanted someone else to change! Now we're learning that the only change we can be certain of is one we make in ourselves.

One of the first changes we can make is to let go of others: their opinions, their behavior, their responsibilities. Our need for them to fulfill our expectations is related to our insecurity, not theirs. Every time we preach or take on others' duties, we must recognize that we are preventing much-needed growth, ours and theirs.

Our intentions might always have been good. But the time has come to let others live their own lives. It's quite enough to take care of ourselves.

I will not do someone else's task today. Growth comes from each of us being responsible for ourselves.

When we take care of others before meeting our own needs, we get sick. I was told that I need to top up myself and only give away the overflow.

Many times over the years I found myself using 'recovery and service' to not look at me and deal with my own issues. It was so much easier to help you with your stuff, than look at my own.

[MajestyJo]

12 Ways To Be Happy:

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/meteo-christmas/0036.gif

1. Make up your mind to be happy.
Learn to find pleasure in simple things.

2. Make the best of your circumstances.
No one has everything, and everyone has something
of sorrow intermingled with gladness of life. The trick is
to make the laughter outweigh the tears.

3. Don't take yourself too seriously.
Don't think that somehow you should be protected
from misfortune that befalls other people.

4. You can't please everybody. Don't let criticism worry you.

5. Don't let your neighbor set your standards. Be yourself.

6. Do the things you enjoy doing but stay out of debt.

7. Never borrow trouble. Imaginary things are harder
to bear than real ones.

8. Since hate poisons the soul, do not cherish jealousy,
Avoid people who make you unhappy.

9. Have many interests. If you can't travel, read about new places.

10. Don't hold post-mortems. Don't spend your time brooding
over sorrows or mistakes. Don't be one who never gets over things.

11. Do what you can for those less fortunate than yourself.

12. Keep busy at something. A busy person never has time
to be unhappy.

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/christmas-lights/0024.gif

GOD BLESS

[MajestyJo]

Count Your Blessings

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_jBaprnn5f4/UHZdDZYPAXI/AAAAAAAACvw/aLQBYwej7C8/s640/Gods-love.jpg

When you are in trouble, do you find
that you feel you are all alone
When your heart grows heavy with burdens
and you feel you can't go on

When you think you are the only one
that has this pain
Count your blessings and look around you
and don't you dare complain

I complained about having no new shoes
to put on my feet
I grumbled that my wages were just not enough
until I looked around and saw a blind man holding a cup

Reach out to the man who needs some help along the way
Think little more of others
and not so much of yourself
If you have two coats and a man has none
God will surely bless you
for giving him one

So count your blessings one by one
and Thank God for most precious gift of all
His Precious Son
He's there to comfort us in trouble and sorrow
if we stop and Thank Him for all He has done.


Inspirational poetry from
Gayle's Garden
짤 2005 used with permission
Gayle Alatia

[MajestyJo]

WELCOME EACH DAY AS IT COMES. IT IS A NEW BEGINNING AND ANOTHER DAY TO PRACTICE THE PROGRAM. REMEMBER IT IS PROGRESS NOT PERFECTION.

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/animals-spiders/0127.gif

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/animals-spiders/0123.gif

ENJOY! MAKE THE MOST OUT OF YOUR DAY. THE SPIDER SAYS, "GO WITHIN," YOU HAVE THE ANSWERS.

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/animals-spiders/0111.gif

HUGS, LOVE, KISSES, AND SMILES

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/animals-spiders/0140.gif

REMEMBER YOU ARE ONLY HALF A HAND SHAKE.

http://thedailyquotes.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/start-changing-whats-going-on-within-you-life-quotes-sayings-pictures.jpg

https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTkG8QHHyagok0EMxYBlghcauqCTCKfH IFJ7IrZmvtSgnzJfwHk

[MajestyJo]

http://angelwinks.ca/images/iq/qcdognkitten2.jpg

I'm so glad
I have you
to share with
to laugh with,
to dream with...
I'm so glad
you're the special
kind of person
that you are...
tender, caring
and understanding.
I'm so glad-
You came into my life!

http://angelwinks.ca/images/iq/tinypinkheart.gifhttp://angelwinks.ca/images/iq/tinypinkheart.gifhttp://angelwinks.ca/images/iq/tinypinkheart.gif

[MajestyJo]

The following is a list of 110 self-nurturing ideas that have to do with "Esteem Needs." Do at least one of these activities every day.

Psysiological Needs:

Eat breakfast
Take a nap
Break a bad habit, if just for today
Get at least 7 hours sleep
Drink 8 glasses of water today
Eat a healthy snack

Safety Needs:

Repair something in your home
Learn how to protect your health
Wear a seat belt

Belonging and Love Needs:

Call your mother or father
Search out a long-lost friend
Open up to the person closest to you
Pay a compliment
Turn off the TV and talk
Get to know the neighbor's dog or cat
Listen to what you hear
Tell someone you love him or her
Hold a hand
Hug someone
Contact someone you've been thinking about
Admire a child
Get to know the neighbors
Kiss a friend
Tell someone how much you appreciate him or her

Esteem Needs:

Blow up a balloon and turn it loose
Make your own candles
Walk instead of ride
Give yourself a compliment
Read a poem aloud
Look at the stars
Use a new word
Frame a picture
Forget an old grudge
Take yourself to lunch
Go to the library
Try a new food
Listen to the rain on the roof
Feed the ducks
Jump in a pile of leaves
Appreciate trees
Sign up for a class
Study a dew-laden cobweb
Learn something new
Sing in the shower
List ten things you do well
Walk in the rain
Waste a little time
Curl up before an open fire
Buy a ticket to a special event
Return something you've borrowed
Organize some small corner of your life
Pop popcorn
Draw a picture, even if you can't draw
Keep a secret
Enjoy silence
Walk to the nearest park
Go wading
Light a candle and read by candlelight
Pick up some travel brochures and dream
Smell a flower
Clean out your wallet
Take an early morning walk
Look at old photos
Run down a hill
Write a poem
Start a new project
Walk barefoot
Tell a joke
Take a different road to get home
Build a sandcastle
Ask someone for help
Let someone do you a favor
Reread a favorite book
Listen to the dawn
Imagine being your favorite tree
Watch the sun set
Hide a love note where a loved one will find it
Make a surprise gift
Go to a fair
Lie on the grass
Go for a swim
Rearrange a room
Let someone love you
Drop a quarter where someone will find it
Hum
Bake bread

Self-Actualization Needs:

Visit a lonely person or a shut-in
Help a stranger
Be thankful
Take a risk
Do something you've always wanted to do
Say "yes"
Say "no"
Meditate
Throw away something you don't like
Try to feel another person's hurt (or joy)
Practice courage in one small way
Warm a heart
Laugh at yourself
Send a card to someone for no reason
Encourage a young person
Follow an impulse
Put yourself out for someone
Acknowledge when you are wrong
Volunteer some time to a good cause
Give yourself a present
Allow yourself to make a mistake
Allow yourself to make another mistake
Do something hard to do
Don't do something -- sit there
Take time to talk to neighborhood children.:UgoGirl:

Source unknown to me

I think this was on the old site, not sure if it made it to this one.

:UgoGirl:

[MajestyJo]

https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQeuKyX7lhOO2qcYjTP-OaFzzvdBRkLUPAtDhgl_td9ZfHXni16

I developed this new recipe
That I thought I'd share with you -
It's just a little something
I like to call "Sunshine Stew!"

First I'll mix in flowers,
And a little pinch of spice
Then I'll add a dash of sunshine,
Now doesn't that sound nice?!

But that's not all that this calls for,
For there's still much more to add,
Like the many fond memories
Of all the good times we've had!

A big bushel of hugs
And a sweet little kiss,
A cup of relaxation
And a tabespoonful of bliss!

Now the most important ingredient
I must add to this brew
Is nothing less significant
Than the love I have for you!

...And this is how you make
the sweetest "Sunshine Stew!"

[MajestyJo]

Quote of the Week

"We didn't get here because we sang too loud in church."

It's amazing how self-righteous we alcoholics can sometimes be. Before recovery many of us acted in destructive, demoralizing and often illegal ways, many times hurting ourselves and others in the process. Rather than being remorseful when confronted with our behaviors, we usually became resentful and acted even more inappropriately. In the end many of us were alone, and the only people who were glad to see us were the people who welcomed us into recovery.

At first it's hard to confront the damage we've done, but after a while many of us do recover the positions and self-respect we had lost. What also returns though is our ego, and sometimes a new sense of entitlement can make us hard to be around again. I have sat and seethed in meetings while people shared how they thought things should be run, all the while harboring my own self-righteous views.

My favorite saying of Bill W's is, "Honesty got me sober and tolerance keeps me that way". When I catch myself feeling mightier than thou, I ask God to remind me of this and to remind me of where I came from. When I do, I'm humbled by the miracle that has taken place in my life, and once again I become right-sized.

I am instantly reminded that we didn't get here because we sang too loud in church.

Wisdom of the Rooms

Found on another site of Tammy's

[MajestyJo]

WHEN YOU THOUGHT I WASN'T LOOKING

A message every adult should read because children
are watching you and doing as you do, not as you say.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you hang my
first painting on the refrigerator, and I immediately
wanted to paint another one.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you feed a
stray cat, and I learned that it was good to be kind
to animals.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you make my

favorite cake for me, and I learned that the little
things can be the special things in life.

When you thought I wasn't looking I heard you say a
prayer, and I knew that there is a God I could always
talk to, and I learned to trust in Him.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you make a
meal and take it to a friend who was sick, and I
learned that we all have to help take care of each other.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you take care
of our house and everyone in it, and I learned we have
to take care of what we are given.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw how you
handled your responsibilities, even when you didn't
feel good, and I learned that I would have to be
responsible when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw tears come
from your eyes, and I learned that sometimes things
hurt, but it's all right to cry.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw that you
cared, and I wanted to be everything that I could be.

When you thought I wasn't looking I learned most of
life's lessons that I need to know to be a good and
productive person when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn't looking I looked at you and
wanted to say,'Thanks for all the things I saw when
you thought I wasn't looking.'

To All THE PEOPLE I KNOW
WHO DO SO MUCH FOR OTHERS,
BUT THINK THAT NO ONE EVER SEES.
LITTLE EYES SEE A LOT .

Each of us (parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, teacher, friend)
influences the life of a child.

[MajestyJo]

When I saw this title, it have me thought in another direction.

We so often forget that our God can see our actions, knows our thoughts, our intent and motives.

Denial can give us selective hearing and sight, can block us from the messages of God. We think because no one knows, we can do what we want to do, act the way we want to, and be less than our God would have us be. I think that is why there are Steps 6 and 7.

Our self-righteousness can fill us up with self-importance, and we have no room left for God. We are so full of the almight "Self" that we don't have time for anyone else, and often looking down on them to make ourselves look good.

I was reminded today, a woman I have known for years was in the mall. I said hello to her even though I was with my son, although he wouldn't have paid her any attention, he is not surprised when people come up to me or I go up to someone else. For that reason, he generally walk in front of me or behind me and as he reminded me today, "Mother you are old."

Prior to recovery, I wouldn't have acknowledge the woman. I would have been embarrassed and would have what people would think if they saw me talking to her. She is disabled and has a slight mental challenge. It is such a joy to see her face light up when she sees me. Little does she know, that she warms my heart.

I don't want to ever forget where I came from. I don't ever want to go back there and be that person who is so self-righteous. I think the worst is putting someone else down to make me feel better and worst of all is condescention. I have been on the receiving end far too often, and would never want to walk in the same shoes and lower myself to that level.

Self-righteousness blocks us from the sunshine of the spirit. I am so glad that my God is a forgiving God.

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/mammals-felines/0200.gif

[MajestyJo]

GOD'S HOTEL

https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTREMd8Xxn8PEW8UQ8LakrVp4upSgmz_ uim5SCp2_bcnX5Q30xy

I checked you in again last night, my child,

Because it hurt me so bad to see you out there running wild.

All tired and sucked up you appeared to me

But put a mirror in front of you, and you can't even see;

That you are a number among the walking dead,

Sores all over your body, confusion in your head.

Jail is not the place you want to be

But it's my hotel, where I can work on thee you see.

You weren't just arrested, you were rescued from yourself.

I had to bring you back here, to put your habit on the shelf.

Give you some rest, some food, and some talk

Encourage you and love you, before I let you walk.

Don't be like a mule that's led around by a bit,

Just listen to your warnings, and I can help you quit.

This could be the last time you have to come into this place,

Just listen to me the Creator Of All with tears upon my face...

Original Source Unknown - posted on FB's Addict's Mom

[MajestyJo]

Subject: Help wanted

POSITION: Mom

JOB DESCRIPTION: Long term team players needed for challenging permanent work in an often chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent
communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call. Some overnight travel required, including trips to
primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in faraway cities. Travel expenses not reimbursed. Extensive courier duties also required.

RESPONSIBILITIES: For the rest of your life. Must be willing to be hated at least temporarily, until someone needs $5 to go skating. Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly. Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf. Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers. Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects. Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks. Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, an embarrassment the next. Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half million cheap, plastic toys and battery operated devices.
Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product. Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT AND PROMOTION: Virtually none. Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, so that those in
your charge can ultimately surpass you.

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE: None required,
unfortunately. On-the-job training
offered on a continually exhausting basis.


AGES AND COMPENSATION: You pay THEM, offering frequent raises and bonuses. A balloon
payment is due when they turn 18 because of the
assumption that college will help them become financially independent.

When you die, you give them whatever is left. The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.

BENEFITS: While no health or dental insurance, pension, tuition reimbursement, paid holidays, job supplies or stock options are offered, there are limitless opportunities for personal growth and free hugs for
life if you play your cards right.

:UgoGirl:

www.talltexian.com/index.htm

[MajestyJo]

http://i778.photobucket.com/albums/yy65/amyjayne10/Friends/n49lox.gif

I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become kinder to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my patio.. I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant.

I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging..

Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 AM and sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60 &70's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love .... I will.

I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set.

They, too, will get old.
I know I am sometimes forgetful.
But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face.

So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their
hair could turn silver.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore.

I've even earned the right to be wrong.

So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever,
but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day(if I feel like it).

MAY OUR FRIENDSHIP NEVER COME APART ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART!


MAY YOU ALWAYS HAVE A RAINBOW OF SMILES ON YOUR FACE AND IN YOUR HEART FOREVER AND EVER! FRIENDS FOREVER!

[MajestyJo]

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/mammals-cats/0249.gif

I'm Only a Cat
I'm only a cat,
and I stay in my place...
Up there on your chair,
on your bed or your face!

I'm only a cat,
and I don't finick much...
I'm happy with cream
and anchovies and such!

I'm only a cat,
and we'll get along fine...
As long as you know
I'm not yours... you're all mine!

Author Unknown


This was voted the best e-mail for 2011.

www.jacquielawson.com/viewcard.asp?code=1560479383964&source=jl999

[MajestyJo]

In order to take control of our lives and accomplish something of lasting value, sooner or later we need to learn to Believe. We don't need to shift our responsibilities on to the shoulders of some deified Spiritual Superman, or sit around and wait for Fate to come knocking at the door. We simply need to believe in the power that's within us, and use it. When we do that, and stop imitating others and competing against them, things begin to work for us.

- The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/avatars-100x100-cartoons-winnie-pooh/0030.gif

If we don't change our old ways, just put the plug in the jug, we are a dry drunk. Doing what we always did, thinking the way we always thought, acting out in our disease until such a time as we make the decision to change.

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/phone-240x320-cats/0173.gif

My Daily Prayer

God, I turn my will and my life over to You this day for Your keeping. Your will, Lord, not mine. I ask for Your guidance and direction. I will walk humbly with You and Your fellow men. You are giving me a grateful heart for my many blessings. You are removing the defects of character that stand in my way. You are giving me freedom from self-will.

Let love, compassion, and understanding be in every thought, word, and deed this day. I truly desire Your abundance of truth, love, harmony and peace. As I go out today to do Your bidding, let me help anyone I can who is less fortunate than I.

Amen

Post in 2011 on my site The Five As

[MajestyJo]

In the race to be better or best, we sometimes forget to just...be. Be still, be quiet and be amazed by the beauty of nature.

When you feel stressed out, just sit back, turn on your computer and watch this beautiful 3 minute movie. The music, the photographs, the words, will take you to another world and we promise that you'll feel the tension slip away.


http://www.naturesinspirationmovie.c...aign=NATImovie

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/insects-butterflies/0156.gif

[MajestyJo]

My sponsor said, "Sobriety is soundness of mind." When I have that soundness of mind, I find Serenity. How I get there is another story.

Serenity for me is being at peace with myself. It is me being right with God and I acquaint it with not what is going on around me, but within me and how I handle life on life's terms.

The acceptance of myself and where I am at on my journey, knowing that all things are subject to change, and that although I may not like them, when I find the acceptance; I find the serenity is there. In order to accept the situation, I find I always have to surrender it to God and often find myself asking for the willingness to have the willingness to accept, to surrender, to take the steps to change.

Serenity was “being at acceptance and surrendering control.”

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/water-frogs/0151.gif

[MajestyJo]

HOW TO STAY YOUNG

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/avatars-100x100-cartoons-winnie-pooh/0014.gifhttp://www.animated-gifs.eu/avatars-100x100-cartoons-winnie-pooh/0033.gif


1. Try everything twice. On Madams tombstone (of Whelan's and Madam) she said she wanted this epitaph: Tried everything twice...loved it both times!


2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down. (keep this in mind if you are one of those grouches)


3. Keep learning: Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain get idle. "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's!


4. Enjoy the simple things.


5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath. And if you have a friend who makes you laugh, spend lots and lots of time with HIM/HER.


6. The tears happen: Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. LIVE while you are alive.


7. Surround yourself with what you love: Whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.


8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.


9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county, to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.


10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity. I love you, my special friend.


11. Forgive now those who made you cry. You might not get a second time.


Source unknown, received with thanks from pink roses

[MajestyJo]

A BLIND BOY!

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/meteo-christmas/0030.gif

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: "I am blind, please help."

There were only a few coins in the hat.

A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.

Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?"

The man said, "I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way."

I wrote: "Today is a beautiful day but I cannot see it."

Both signs told people that the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people that they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?

Moral of the Story: Be thankful for what you have.. Be creative. Be innovative. Think differently and positively.

When life gives you a 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile. Face your past without regret.

Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear. Keep the faith and drop the fear.

The most beautiful thing is to see a person smiling.

And even more beautiful, is knowing that you are the reason behind it!!!

If you appreciate this message, please share. You may touch someone's heart today and forever.

Enjoy your week with a heart of gratitude...

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/ps-christmas-trees/0003.gif

[MajestyJo]

Twelve Days of Fast Food

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/christmas-animals/0044.gif

On the first day of Christmas,
my drive through gave to me:
a Big Bacon Classic with cheese.

On the second day of Christmas,
my drive through gave to me:
Two Happy Meals,
and a Big Bacon Classic with cheese.

On the third day of Christmas,
my drive through gave to me:
Three Biggie Fries,
Two Happy Meals,
and a Big Bacon Classic with cheese.

On the fourth day of Christmas,
my drive through gave to me:
Four Egg McMuffins,
Three Biggie Fries,
Two Happy Meals,
and a Big Bacon Classic with cheese.

On the fifth day of Christmas,
my drive through gave to me:
Five onion rings,
Four Egg McMuffins,
Three Biggie Fries,
Two Happy Meals,
and a Big Bacon Classic with cheese.

On the sixth day of Christmas,
My drive through gave to me:
Six chocolate milkshakes,
Five onion rings,
Four Egg McMuffins,
Three Biggie Fries,
Two Happy Meals,
and a Big Bacon Classic with cheese.

On the seventh day of Christmas,
My drive through gave to me:
Seven pints of cole slaw,
Six chocolate milkshakes,
Five onion rings,
Four Egg McMuffins,
Three Biggie Fries,
Two Happy Meals,
and a Big Bacon Classic with cheese.

On the eighth day of Christmas,
My drive through gave to me:
Eight bowls of chili,
Seven pints of cole slaw,
Six chocolate milkshakes,
Five onion rings,
Four Egg McMuffins,
Three Biggie Fries,
Two Happy Meals,
and a Big Bacon Classic with cheese.

On the ninth day of Christmas,
My drive through gave to me:
Nine polish hot dogs,
Eight bowls of chili,
Seven pints of cole slaw,
Six chocolate milkshakes,
Five onion rings,
Four Egg McMuffins,
Three Biggie Fries,
Two Happy Meals,
and a Big Bacon Classic with cheese.

On the tenth day of Christmas,
My drive through gave to me:
Ten baked potatoes,
Nine polish hot dogs,
Eight bowls of chili,
Seven pints of cole slaw,
Six chocolate milkshakes,
Five onion rings,
Four Egg McMuffins,
Three Biggie Fries,
Two Happy Meals,
and a Big Bacon Classic with cheese.

On the eleventh day of Christmas,
My drive through gave to me:
Eleven pounds of blubber,
Ten baked potatoes,
Nine polish hot dogs,
Eight bowls of chili,
Seven pints of cole slaw,
Six chocolate milkshakes,
Five onion rings,
Four Egg McMuffins,
Three Biggie Fries,
Two Happy Meals,
and a Big Bacon Classic with cheese.

On the twelfth day of Christmas,
My drive through gave to me:
Twelve bags of Pepto,
Eleven pounds of blubber,
Ten baked potatoes,
Nine polish hot dogs,
Eight bowls of chili,
Seven pints of cole slaw,
Six chocolate milkshakes,
Five onion rings,
Four Egg McMuffins,
Three Biggie Fries,
Two Happy Meals,
and a Big Bacon Classic with cheese!

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/christmas-animals/0051.gif

*A Thingos Presentation © Whimsical & Wacky Wits - Compiled for your personal enjoyment by Pat

[MajestyJo]

I try not to go there these days.

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/christmas-merry/0097.gif

[MajestyJo]

I thought this was nice. It's not timed or gives you any kind of luck. Just some random thoughts for a New Year.

~~ONE. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.

~~TWO. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.

~~THREE. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.

~~FOUR. When you say, "I love you," mean it.

~~FIVE. When you say, "I'm sorry," look the person in the eye.

~~SIX. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.

~~SEVEN. Believe in love at first sight.

~~EIGHT. Never laugh at anyone's dream. People who don't have dreams don't have much.

~~NINE. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely.

~~TEN.. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.

~~ELEVEN Don't judge people by their relatives.

~~TWELVE. Talk slowly but think quickly.

~~THIRTEEN. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, "Why do you want to know?"

~~FOURTEEN. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

~~FIFTEEN. Say "bless you" when you hear someone sneeze.

~~SIXTEEN. When you lose, don't lose the lesson

~~SEVENTEEN. Remember the three R's: Respect for self;
Respect for others; and responsibility for all your actions.

~~EIGHTEEN. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

~~NINETEEN. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

~~TWENTY. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.

~~TWENTY-ONE. Spend some time alone.

~~A true friend is someone who reaches for your hand and touches your heart.

Peace and Blessings, Georgia B

An oldie but good to reread every year. Originally posted in January 2009 on Recovery Inn.

https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTuSi0cSsnlu6gYjr0naHI3FC8R96M47 f2YUIaAzx3UmkBwSvgNbQ

[MajestyJo]

Pictures tell a story of their own. They say "They are worth a thousand words."

http://i667.photobucket.com/albums/vv36/MajestyJo/0014-1.gif

[MajestyJo]

LOVED

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/phone-240x320-planets/0230.gif

A must read!!

While a man was polishing his new car, his 4 yr old son picked up a stone and scratched lines on the side of the car. In anger, the man took the child's hand and hit it many times; not realizing he was using a wrench.

t the hospital, the child lost all his fingers due to multiple
fractures. When the child saw his father.....with painful eyes he asked, `Dad when will my fingers grow back?' The man was so hurt and speechless; he went back to his car and kicked it a lot of times.

Devastated by his own actions..... . .sitting in front of that car he
looked at the scratches; the child had written `LOVE YOU DAD'.
The next day that man committed suicide. . .

Anger and Love have no limits; choose the latter to have a beautiful, lovely life..... Things are to be used and people are to be loved, But the problem in today's world is that, People are used and things are loved.... During this year, let's be careful to keep this thought in mind: Things are to be used, but People are to be loved ... Be yourself....

This is the only day we HAVE.

Watch your thoughts; they become words.

Watch your words; they become actions.

Watch your actions; they become habits.

Watch your habits they become character;

Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

[MajestyJo]

https://scontent-ord1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/12715568_2161106530696723_5529486462615239601_n.jp g?oh=8c869062bfd99bc9085abe762a38b4d6&oe=577078F5

[MajestyJo]

This was so true for me. You can`t let go if you continue to feed the fire, either by thought, word, or deed.

[MajestyJo]

https://scontent-ord1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash2/v/t1.0-0/s526x395/10850039_348952238625554_3787280318264968283_n.jpg ?oh=a550a3fde153fd6e593eca34a135d6d7&oe=572EB55A

[MajestyJo]

Somebody said it takes about six weeks to get back to normal after you've had a baby.

Somebody doesn't know that once you're a mother, "Normal," is history.

Somebody said you learn how to be a mother by instinct ....

Somebody never took a three-year-old shopping.

Somebody said being a mother is boring ....

Somebody never rode in a car driven by a teenager with a driver's permit.

Somebody said if you're a "good" mother, your child will "turn out good."

Somebody thinks a child comes with directions and a guarantee.

Somebody said "good" mothers never raise their voices ....

Somebody never came out the back door just in time to see her child hit a golf ball through the neighbor's kitchen window.

Somebody said you don't need an education to be a mother.

Somebody never helped a fourth grader with her math.

Somebody said you can't love the fifth child as much as you love the first.

Somebody doesn't have five children.

Somebody said a mother can find all the answers to her child-rearing questions in the books

Somebody never had a child stuff beans up his nose or in his ears.

Somebody said the hardest part of being a mother is labor and delivery

Somebody never watched her "baby" get on the bus for the first day of kindergarten or on a plane headed for military "boot camp."

Somebody said a mother can do her job with her eyes closed and one hand tied behind her back .

Somebody never organized four giggling Brownies to sell cookies.

Somebody said a mother can stop worrying after her child gets married.

Somebody doesn't know that marriage adds a new son or daughter-in-law to a mother's heartstrings.

Somebody said a mother's job is done when her last child leaves home....

Somebody never had grandchildren.

Somebody said your mother knows you love her, so you don't need to tell her .

Somebody isn't a mother.

I wasn't a very good one. In today, I know I did the best I could with what I knew. Many times my addiction dictated my actions, and it wasn't a true mother's love that was speaking.

http://static1.purebreak.com.br/articles/3/12/25/3/@/60215-gatos-s-atilde-o-limpinhos-620x0-1.jpg

[MajestyJo]

The book is called Rainbow Medicine by Wolf Moondance. She is a visionary shaman of an American Indian tribe.

Here is a list from the book.......

White=to think positive relax tense muscles keep an open mind express your individuality

Red=confidence, strength, nurture, absolute illumination, beginning, accountability

Orange=balance, success, choice, correct, following, proceeding, responsibility

Yellow=Creativity vision ceremony ideal solidity sincerity

Green=growth beauty change perfect faith innocence honest

Blue-truth healing proof clarity introspection depth faithful understanding

Purple=wisdom, real pure commitment

Burgundy=impeccable great grand mystery the path

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTmrsiMx_aF_C9348cNO3s6z_KYrCNZX 5aU0R2yw2O4-xN0nQyb

[MajestyJo]

Once there was a very old man who used to meditate early every morning under a large tree on the bank of the Ganges River in India. One morning, having finished his meditation, the old man opened his eyes and saw a scorpion floating helplessly in the strong current of the river.

As the scorpion was pulled closer to the tree, it got caught in the long tree roots that branched out far into the river. The scorpion struggled frantically to free itself but got further and further entangled in the complex network of the tree roots.

When the old man saw this, he immediately stretched himself onto the extended roots and reached out to rescue the drowning scorpion. But as soon as he touched it, the animal jerked and stung him wildly.

Instinctively the man withdrew his hand, but then, after having regained his balance, he once again stretched himself out along the roots to save the agonized scorpion. But every time the old man came within reach, the scorpion stung him so badly with its poisonous tail that his hands became swollen and bloody and his face distorted by pain.

At that moment a passer-by saw the old man stretched out on the roots struggling with the scorpion and shouted: "Hey, stupid old man What’s wrong with you? Only a fool risks his life for the sake of an ugly, useless creature. Don’t you know that you may kill yourself to save that ungrateful animal?"

Slowly the old man turned his head, and looking calmly in the stranger's eyes, he said: "Friend, because it is the nature of the scorpion to sting, why should I give up my own nature to save?"

Well, that's the question: Why should we give up our nature to be compassionate even when we get stung in a biting stinging world?

The story about the old man and the scorpion holds out a great challenge to in which we are made to believe that mutual struggle dominates the process of human development. It challenges us to show that to embrace is more human than to reject, that to kiss is more human than to bite, to behold more human than to stare, to be friends more human than to be rivals -in short, that compassion is more human than strife.

Original source unknown

Shared by graced on another site
~~~True ambition is the deep desire to live usefully and walk humbly under the grace of G-d.~~~


Great story. Trust and compassion don't always come easily and so many times, when life hands us a curve ball, we tend to let go of it and we shut off ourselves off from being hurt again.

http://rs292.pbsrc.com/albums/mm23/pixcomments/The%2050s/60s/characters/Ebony/Animals/myspace-comments-cat-mouse-jumping-.gif~c200

[MajestyJo]

If you want other people to speak well of you, do not speak well of yourself. - Blaise Pascal

Just as it's folly to try to lift yourself into the air, you should not praise yourself too much. When you praise yourself, you produce the opposite effect in others and you appear lower in their eyes.

HUMILITY: To become teachable and open to learning.

Hope I don't come across like this. All I try to do is share my experience, strength, and hope. Posting on the site is my way of doing service and giving back what was so freely given to me. I can't always get out to meetings. You are my meeting.

http://angelwinks.ca/images/thoughtpod/thoughtpod1154.jpg

[MajestyJo]

The Rainbow Bubble of Happiness

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g116/emiesmom/cloudyfriend1.gif

Living in a bubble
Protected from hurt and pain
The rainbow colours of happiness
Energise my brain
And my body loves to move
To the rhythm and the beat
I could dance until the sunrise
Being happy is so neat
Right here inside my bubble
The world's a real cool place
The rainbow colours of happiness
Put a smile on my face
And my brain loves the games
That keep this bubble strong
Cos it's positive thinking
That moves my life along
How clever is this brain
To build me such a thing
With the rainbow colours of happiness
The magic that they bring
As they harmonise my thoughts
To the music of my mind
And a contentment to be me
Being happy, what a find!

Pauline Oliver

[MajestyJo]

https://sp.yimg.com/xj/th?id=OIP.M724b9dc78a2d3beab8bbac7a985aa657H0&pid=15.1&P=0&w=300&h=300

Read Each One Carefully and Think About It a Second or Two


1. I love you not because of who you are, but because of who I am when I am with you..

2. No man or woman is worth your tears, and the one who is, won't make you cry.

3. Just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to, doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.

4.. A true friend is someone who reaches for your hand and touches your heart.

5. The worst way to miss someone is to be sitting right beside them knowing you can't have them.

6. Never frown, even when you are sad, because you never know who is falling in love with your smile.

7. To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.

8. Don't waste your time on a man/woman, who isn't willing to waste their time on you.

9. Maybe God wants us to meet a few wrong people before meeting the right one, so that when we finally meet the person, we will know how to be grateful.

10. Don't cry because it is over, smile because it happened.

11. There's always going to be people that hurt you so what you have to do is keep on trusting and just be more careful about who you trust next time around.

12. Make yourself a better person and know who you are before you try and know someone else and expect them to know you.

13. Don't try so hard, the best things come when you least expect them to.


REMEMBER: WHATEVER HAPPENS, HAPPENS FOR A REASON.

[MajestyJo]

Bob and the Lord stood by to observe a baseball game. The Lord's team was playing Satan's team. The Lord's team was at bat, the score was tied zero to zero, and it was the bottom of the 9th inning with two outs.

They continued to watch as a batter stepped up to the plate whose name was Love. Love swung at the first pitch and hit a single, because Love never fails.

The next batter was named Faith, who also got a single because Faith works with Love. The next batter up was named Godly Wisdom. Satan wound up and threw the first pitch. Godly Wisdom looked it over and let it pass: Ball one.

Three more pitches and Godly Wisdom walked, because Godly Wisdom never swings at what Satan throws. The bases were now loaded. The Lord then turned to Bob and told him He was now going to bring in His star player. Up to the plate stepped Grace. Bob said, "He sure doesn't look like much!"

Satan's whole team relaxed when they saw Grace. Thinking he had won the game, Satan wound up and fired his first pitch. To the shock of everyone, Grace hit the ball harder than anyone had ever seen. But Satan was not worried; his center fielder let very few get by. He went up for the ball, but it went right through his glove, hit him on the head and sent him crashing on the ground; then it continued over the fence for a home run!

The Lord's team won! The Lord then asked Bob if he knew why Love, Faith, and Godly Wisdom could get on base but could not win the game. Bob answered that he did not know why.

The Lord explained, "If your love, faith, and wisdom had won the game you would think you had done it by yourself. Love, Faith and Wisdom will get you on base but only My Grace can get you Home.

Psalm 84:11, "For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly."

This post was received from a group called Crystal Folk.

I thank them for giving me permission to use their material. They believe something good is to be shared and passed on to others. I thank them for their caring and sharing.

Originally posted on my group "The Spirit of Healing" in 2003.

[MajestyJo]

GOD IS EVERYWHERE

http://angelwinks.ca/images/angelpod.jpg

See, the Lord hath made us by His mighty pow’r,
And He watches o’er us every day and hour;
This we do remember when we kneel in prayer,
God is up in heaven, God is everywhere.

Refrain:
God is everywhere, yes, God is everywhere,
God is in the valley, God is in the air;
God is in the mountain, God is in the sea,
Anywhere we may go, there God will be.

Nothing can we hide from His all-seeing eye,
Whether on the land, or in the sea or sky;
Darkness cannot hide us from His blessed face,
For His holy presence dwells in every place.

All our words and thoughts are to Him fully known,
We shall surely reap the deeds that we have sown;
From Thy holy presence we can never flee,
For the day and night are both the same with Thee.

Look down in our hearts, Lord, let us see today
If there should be in us any wicked way;
Help us ever serve Thee with a Godly fear,
Help us know that Thou art present everywhere.

[MajestyJo]

When we belive in something and we do it out of love, and we bring our whole selves to it.

When we support a cause or event for the honor and the glory, we bring an empty shell because our motive and intent behind the action isn't good.

Today I share because I care. I don't share because I am people pleasing and looking for credit, I am hoping that we can build unity and a family together and work as one, no matter what Twelve Step fellowship we belong to. They all originated with Bill and Dr. Bob. The news was spread to their wives and to others, and to many people around the world.

I think they would be very overwhelmed by the growth that has happened as a result of some divinely inspired words written sixty years ago, which has allowed so many people to grow mentally, emotional, spiritual and physically, into new people and given the chance for a new way of life.

There spirit lives on, and as they said, AA will die from within not from without. The without is growing, but I am seeing sad things in recovery today. I see a lot of people not bringing themselves to the original cause of AA, to carrying the message, but to get what they need out of it and not willing to think of those who come behind them.

Someone took time for me, I hope I never get to a stage in my recovery where I think that my debt has been paid in full. Personally, I know that I will never live that long. The gifts alone which I have received, let alone the chance at a new way of life is beyond price.

Something I posted on another site in 2004. I still feel the need to share and give back. AA gave me purpose and a reason for living. I don't ever want to let that go. I can't go back to where I come from, for me to pick up and use is to die.

I still need to find balance in my life and work on my emotional sobriety.

http://www.reignier.school.nz/files/90ebd73f8e379242/folders/64/animated_cat_on_book.gif

[MajestyJo]

This is

This is a day that is like no other. This is a moment in which you can make great things happen.

This is a world full of challenge and opportunity. This is a life that's overflowing with possibilities.

This is your chance to make a real, positive difference. This is the time that is yours to fully live.

This is reality, and it is filled with promise. This is when you can begin to make your most treasured dreams real.

This is the place where your choices have brought you. This is your first step toward the best you can imagine.

This moment, this world, this life that you're in can be whatever you decide to make of it. This is your reminder to make it great.

-- Ralph Marston

Like this, all I have is today to build the spiritual defense I need against that first drink/drug.

http://i415.photobucket.com/albums/pp236/Keefers_/Keefers_Bugs/Keefers_BeautifulFlowers3038-1-1.gif (http://media.photobucket.com/user/Keefers_/media/Keefers_Bugs/Keefers_BeautifulFlowers3038-1-1.gif.html)

[MajestyJo]

Grief

So often we live for others because we have no purpose or self-worth of our own. We think that we are useless and not a very good member of society, especially when we are disabled and can't get out and socialize.

We all have a purpose in this life, if for no other reason than to share with others. I sometimes think we are links, in the vast chain of this Universe, connecting one soul with another.

All we are asked to do is to have faith the size of a mustard seed, it is all that is required to connect and ask for what we need, one day at a time.

In today, I am a recovering alcoholic. I have recovered from that hopeless state of mind and body. I can go out and be a useful member of society and mix with "Earthlings" and live happy, joyous and free. Not free from pain, but a free spirit who is capable of dealing with her pain, one day at a time. I am not alone. I try to live my life for myself and my Higher Good, not to please others, but to please God. All I ask of myself of today is to be the best me I can be today and I know that all my God asks me to do today is try. Many times I fall short, but I take those shortcomings to Him and as I travel this journey and road of recovery, I will try to continue to share my findings along the way.

When I came into recovery, I had to let go of my best friend, my survivor tool, my comfort zone and learn a new way of living. Early recovery is a big part of grief work. You need to be honest with your doctor. That sadness and depression is normal, it doesn't need a pill or a quick fix, it needs the 12 Steps of recovery. Any loss in our lives, be it the death of a loved one, an old way of living, an old coping skills, or just a change in attitude, it all brings grief to our lives and something we need to learn to deal with.

The holidays are a time of grief for many people because of Christmas Past. We need to learn to let go and live in today. It isn't just Christmas, there are many holiday in our lives.

Whenever we have a change in routine, a change in how we are able to do things, a change in our normal activities in a day, we go through a grief process.

I sometimes forget this and wonder why I am experiencing several emotions; and then when i identify them, I recognize the fact that I am going through grief. I am a great one for bargaining, even today the doctor told me to relax, and he told me to put my head back and he told me I was nosey because I wanted to know. He said it was for him to know and he will tell me afterward. A little bit of a control issue going on. I wanted to see what he was up to.

Don't want him causing me grief. My trust issues were raising their ugly head too. So glad this is one day at a time and progress not perfection. I had to change doctors twice, one in early recovery because doctor had been my supplier. The second one I just couldn't connect with. He kept asking me if I had smoked or drank. It was like talking to a wall.

Time is a great healer and what stuck out for me were the words, "How we use that time." In the past, I spent my time using people, places and things to avoid looking at what I needed healed.

In recovery, I have done meditations asking for the healing. I have sat here, with my candles on, and the tears running down my face, not always knowing the source of the pain that was healed, just knowing that my God saw fit to allow me that healing.

So much was buried, so much of it not recognized at the time of it's happening, so much of it denied because I didn't want to look at it.

What I needed to do was surrender, accept what was and ask for help. Not always an easy thing to do when you feel like the other person was in the wrong and you were an innocent victim of other people's choices.

I had to let go of the anger. I was only hurting me. I had to ask for help, even when I was the one in the wrong and ask for forgiveness and healing so I would not continue acting out in my dis-ease.

Thank you for being a part of my life. I like this bear. He is sitting with his paws up willing to receive with one and willing to let go with the other. Just be and trust in the process.

[MajestyJo]

You are reading from the book Today's Gift

In this sad world of ours, sorrow comes to all, and it often comes with bitter agony. Perfect relief is not possible except with time.
—Abraham Lincoln

Time may or may not heal all wounds. It depends on how we use the time. If we deny our sorrow, or runaway from it, or hope it will just go away by itself, we will be miserable. But if we turn and face it, and express our sadness in healthy ways, somehow we are transformed by the sorrow itself. While the loss is still there, it begins not to hurt so much.

We can express our sadness in many ways. Crying is probably the healthiest means of expressing grief. It's good to cry, even for men, because it releases tension and stress, and we find a little peace afterwards. It is true that tears are healing.

Getting angry and expressing our anger in appropriate, healthy ways also helps to heal wounds of loss, strange as it may seem. Yes, in time and with the courage to express our feelings, our wounds are indeed healed.

What is a healthy way to express my anger at a loss?

It is important to be willing to let it go and the person to go in peace. I was told that my anger wasn't allowing the other person to leave this world whole and in peace. I had to talk it over with my sponsor, closest friends, counselor, and spiritual adviser.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p6YQHULiCnA/Tspvo072UWI/AAAAAAAAEYg/of0t9RbAb_I/s1600/fiy.gif

[MajestyJo]

"Sometimes I think I'm going to die from the sadness. Not that anyone ever died from crying for two hours, but it sure feels like it."


As a survivor of child (sexual) abuse you have a lot to grieve for. You will grieve for the way you were hurt. You will grieve for not being protected, for the things you missed out on as a child. You will grieve for the time and money it takes to heal, for the relationships and happiness you have lost.

If you covered up your pain by pretending you had a happy childhood, you will have to grieve for the ideal family you didn't really have. You'll have to give up the idea that the abuser had your best interests at heart.

You may have to grieve for the fact that you don't have suitable grandparents for your children, or a family you can depend on.

You must also grieve for the shattered image of a world that is fair and safe for children. You will grieve for your lost innocence and ability to trust.

[MajestyJo]

The face in the mirror

"Our inability to see beauty doesn’t suggest in the slightest that beauty is not there. Rather, it suggests that we are not looking carefully enough or with broad enough perspective to see the beauty."

-- Rabbi Harold Kushner

Who are you? You can gaze at your reflection in a mirror but you’re not likely to see your true likeness. You are beautiful, unique, perfect. Do you see that?

The world needs you to see how whole and complete you are -- now. Can you begin to own your divinity? The world needs you to know who you really are so you can be the mirror for others.

"The sun shines not on us but in us. The rivers flow not past, but through us, thrilling, tingling, vibrating every fiber and cell of the substance of our bodies, making them glide and sing."

-- John Muir

Used with permission from Higher Awareness

Give yourself permission to see the goodness in you. I can still have problems with this. I think I have a preconceived idea of how I should look. Perhaps it is a illusion, and perhaps something I aspire to and yet haven't reached my goal. Be it my weight, my personality, my communication skills, and my all round physical appearance.

I have always had a problem with swollen ankles. When my ankles are swollen, I thinking fat and ugly. It has an origin that goes back for many years.

Sometimes I can see that face and I am happy with her. Most days I feel complete and whole, prior to this last bout of swelling and medication and difference of opinion with my doctor. He keeps saying it is a good pill. I think it is a bad pill because it does more than work on the physical it tears down my mental and emotional well being.

[MajestyJo]

SYMPTOMS OF INNER PEACE

How would you rate your level of "Inner Peace"?
Enough to stay calm in a den of lions?
Enough to get through a good day?
Enough for the next five minutes,
so long as everybody leaves you alone?

You may need a good case of inner peace,
a disease that could leave you stress-free
and contented for years to come.
A chiropractor named Jeff Rockwell
composed a list he calls
"Symptoms of Inner Peace."
You may have already caught this disease!
See how many of these symptoms you exhibit:

1.
A tendency to think and act
spontaneously rather than from
fears based on past experiences.

2.
An unmistakable ability
to enjoy each moment.

3.
A loss of interest in judging self.

4.
A loss of interest in judging others.

5.
A loss of interest in conflict.

6.
A loss of interest in interpreting
the actions of others.

7.
A loss of ability to worry
(this is a serious symptom).

8.
Frequent,
overwhelming episodes of appreciation.

9.
Contented feelings of connectedness
with others and nature.

10.
Frequent attacks of smiling
through the eyes of the heart.

11.
Increasing susceptibility to love
extended by others as well as
the uncontrollable urge to extend it.

12.
An increasing tendency
to let things happen.

Inner peace is a communicable disease
that could possibly infect
your home or workplace.
You may already be showing signs of it
and quite possibly be passing it along to others!
Rockwell warns:
"If you have all or even most
of the above symptoms,
please be advised that your condition
of PEACE may be so far advanced
as to not be treatable."

Have you caught it?

[MajestyJo]

It is okay to be who we are, we don't have to wear masks.

http://www.likecool.com/Gear/Pic/Gif%20Panda/Gif-Panda.gif

[MajestyJo]

"Portrait of a Friend"

I can't give solutions to all of life's problems, doubts,
or fears. But I can listen to you, and together we will
search for answers.

I can't change your past with all it's heartache and pain,
nor the future with its untold stories.
But I can be there now when you need me to care.

I can't keep your feet from stumbling.
I can only offer my hand that you may grasp it and not fall.

Your joys, triumphs, successes, and happiness are not mine;
Yet I can share in your laughter.

Your decisions in life are not mine to make, nor to judge;
I can only support you, encourage you,
and help you when you ask.

I can't prevent you from falling away from friendship,
from your values, from me.
I can only pray for you, talk to you and wait for you.

I can't give you boundaries which I have determined for you,
But I can give you the room to change, room to grow,
room to be yourself.

I can't keep your heart from breaking and hurting,
But I can cry with you and help you pick up the pieces
and put them back in place.

I can't tell you who you are.
I can only love you and be your friend.

- - Unknown

[MajestyJo]

We are not suppose to give advice. All we can do is share our experience, strength and hope. I share with you, what worked for me. My words are not original. They are words that I have read or heard from others in recovery. Not just one fellowship, but from AA, NA, Al-Anon, and through the different readings from other fellowships like Nar-Anon and OA, over the last 25 years.

http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh291/lillysmiles/Olivia/Helpinghand.jpg

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day July 26

“These are our times and our responsibilities. Every human being has a sacred duty to protect the welfare of our Mother Earth, from whom all life comes. In order to do this, we must recognize the enemy – the one within us. We must begin with ourselves…”
–Leon Shenandoah, ONONDAGA

The outside is merely a reflection of our insides. My mind is designed to tell me that I’m not crazy for thinking what I am thinking. Even if I have angry thought, my mind is giving me excuses and reasons why it is OK to think what I’m thinking. I need to be knowledgeable about the laws of harmony and balance. I cannot twist the laws to serve me, but I can adjust my life to serve the laws. This is the law – I am here to serve the Earth. The Earth is not here for me to misuse and abuse.

Oh Great Spirit, allow me the insight and knowledge of how to live in harmony and balance with my surroundings. Grant me change from within.
Thank you.


Elder’s Meditation of the Day September 13

“The most important thing you can do during the course of the day is to pray.”
–Joe Coyhis, STOCKBRIDGE-MUNSEE

There are many things we do during the day that are important. There are many places we have to go and there are many things to accomplish. The old ones say, the most important thing we can do is remember to take the time to pray. We should pray every morning and every evening. In this way we can be sure that the Great Spirit is running our lives. With the Great Spirit we are everything but without Him we are nothing. All Warriors know their greatest weapon is prayer. To spend time talking to the Creator is a great honor.

Great Spirit, thank You for listening to my prayers.


Elder’s Meditation of the Day September 16

“To me, the wisdom the Elders have to manifest is in teaching people how to live in harmony and balance with each other and the Earth.”
–Sun Bear, CHIPPEWA

You cannot give away what you don’t have. You need to give away what you have in order to keep it. Our Elders have lived their lives with a lot of trial and error. They have experienced how to do things well and they have experienced what didn’t work for them as they grew old. They know things about living that we don’t know. So, through the years the Elders have gained wisdom. They usually have a whole different point of view because of all their experiences. There are two ways to learn. Someone tells us what they did and we do the same thing or someone tells us what they did and we choose not to do it. Both of these paths will help us to live.

My Creator, teach me about choices and decisions and consequences. Put an Elder in my life to guide me.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day September 18

“I walk in and out of many worlds.”
–Joy Harjo, CREEK/CHEROKEE

In my mind are many dwellings. Each of the dwellings we create ourselves – the house of anger, the house of despair, the house of self pity, the house of indifference, the house of negative, the house of positive, the house of hope, the house of joy, the house of peace, the house of enthusiasm, the house of cooperation, the house of giving. Each of these houses we visit each day. We can stay in any house for as long as we want. We can leave these mental houses any time we wish. We create the dwelling, we stay in the dwelling, we leave the dwelling whenever we wish. We can create new rooms, new houses. Whenever we enter these dwellings, this becomes our world until we leave for another. What world will we live in today?

Creator, no one can determine which dwelling I choose to enter. No one has the power to do so, only me. Let me choose wisely today.

These were sent to me by a Shaman who befriended me on Facebook. He is 26 years sober. He gave me permission to post them.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day September 19

“I am building myself. There are many roots. I plant, I pick, I prune. I consume.”
–Wendy Rose, HOPI/MIWOK

The most sacred thing on this Mother Earth is life. My life on this earth is governed by God’s laws, principles, and spiritual values. These things are my roots. Let me see Your gifts of growing and becoming a spiritual warrior. Make my strength based on values – spiritual values; on principles and laws, the laws of God that really run the universe. We need to realize the seeds we plant in the spring will be what shows up in our summer season of growth and will be the fruits that we will harvest in our fall season. We really have a lot to do with what shows up in our lives.

Great Spirit, let my seed that I plant today be based on values that will make You pleased with my selection.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day September 20

“You will only get back what you give out.”
–Joe Coyhis, STOCKBRIDGE-MUNSEE

The Great Spirit created a system of balance and justice. This law says, if you treat others with respect, you will be treated with respect. If you gossip about no one, no one will gossip about you. If you are fair in all of your dealings, you can expect the same. If you share with others, others will share with you. If you judge others, others will judge you. You will always get back what you give out. The original teaching talks about being a giving person. A giving person will constantly be on the receiving end.

My Creator, help me to be a giving person today.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day September 21

“everything is laid out for you. Your path is straight ahead of you. Sometimes it’s invisible but it’s there. You may not know where it’s going, but still you have to follow that path. It’s the path to the Creator. That’s the only path there is.”
–Leon Shenandoah, ONONDAGA

Everything on the earth has a purpose and a reason for its existence. Every human being is a warrior and every warrior has a song written in his/her heart and that song must be sung or the soul forever remains restless. This song is always about serving the Great Spirit and helping the people. This song is always sung for the people. Many times I need to learn much about the difficulties of life. I need to know this, so I must experience it. Then I can be of use to the people. Because I am experiencing difficulty does not mean I have left the path or that I have done something wrong. It means I’m doing the will of the Great Spirit during these times of testing. I need to pray constantly to keep a good attitude.

Great Spirit, this I know – You will never leave me, only my doubting makes it seem like You do. This I know – Your love is always dependable, only my doubting makes it seem like You do. Today remove the doubts from my belief system and allow me to stand straight and see You with straight eyes.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day September 25

“Even the trees have spirits – everything has a spirit.”
–Mary Hayes, CLAYOQUOT

The trees are great teachers. The trees are great listeners. That is why we should meditate in their presence. The Great Spirit is in every rock, every animal, every human being, and in every tree. The Great Spirit has been in some trees for hundreds of years. Therefore, the trees have witnessed and heard much. The trees are the Elders of the Elders. Their spirits are strong and very healing.

Great Spirit, teach me respect for all spiritual things.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day September 27

“I received my education from my culture. My teachers were my grandmothers, and I am really thankful for that.”
–Mary One Spot, SARCEE

Our often unrecognized, but most powerful teachers are our women. In order for men to learn a balanced way, we need to learn from our men Elders and our women Elders. Learning from the women Elders will teach us a whole different set of values and insights to life. When we have life problems, we need to go to the grandmothers to get their advice.

Grandmothers, teach me the values of the Great Mystery.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day September 28

“Love is something that you can leave behind you when you die. It’s that powerful.”
–John (Fire) Lame Deer, ROSEBUD LAKOTA

The Old Ones say, love is all anyone needs. Love doesn’t go away nor can love be divided. Once you commit an act of love, you’ll find it continues. Love is like setting up dominos one behind the other. Once you hit the first domino, it will touch the second one which will touch the third one and so on. Every love act or love thought has an affect on each person as well as touching the whole world. If you live a life filled with love, the results will affect your friends, relatives, and other people, even after you go to the other side. So… Love.

My Creator, let me love. Let me put into action the love dominos.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day September 30

“Don’t be afraid to cry. It will free your mind of sorrowful thoughts.”
–Don Talayesva, HOPI

Human beings function from choice. We can choose to stuff things, or we can choose to let go of things. If we choose to stuff things, then we will feel a heaviness, or sorrow, self pity or fear. Sometimes we feel the need to cry. Sometimes we are taught it is not okay to cry. The creator designed the human being to cry. Crying is a release. This release allows us to let go of thoughts that are not helping us so we can open to new thoughts that will help. Crying is natural for women and men.

Grandfather, if I need to cry, let me realize it’s a natural process and help me to let go

[MajestyJo]

Oct. 4
Elder's Meditation


I wonder if the ground has anything to
say? I wonder if the ground is listening
to what is said? I wonder if the ground
would come alive and what is on it?
Though I hear what the ground says.
The ground says, It is the Great Spirit
that placed me here. The Great Spirit
tells me to take care of the Indians, to
feel them aright. The Great Spirit
appointed the roots to feed the Indians
on. The water says the same thing.
The Great spirit directs me, Feed the
Indians well. The grass says the same
thing. Feed the Indians well. The
ground, water and grass say, The
Great Spirit has given us names. We
have these names and hold these
names. The ground says, The Great
Spirit has placed me here to produce all
that grows on me, trees and fruit. The
same way the ground says, It was from
me man was made. The Great Spirit, in
placing men on the Earth, desired them
to take good care of the ground and do
each other no harm . . .
-CHIEF YOUNG, CAYUSE, 1855

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day October 6

“Lots of people hardly ever feel real soil under their feet, see plants grow except in flower pots, or get far enough beyond the street light to catch the enchantment of a night sky studded with stars. When people live far from scenes of the Great Spirit’s making, it’s easy for them to forget His laws.”
–Tatanga Mani (Walking Buffalo), STONEY

Nature is life’s greatest teacher. The natural laws are hidden in nature. Hidden are solutions to everyday problems such as; conflict resolution, how to forgive, lessons about differences, how to manage organizations, how to think. Hidden are feelings. You can look at something and you will feel it. At night, have you ever looked at the sky when there are no clouds? As you look at all the stars, your heart will become very joyful. You will walk away feeling joyful and peaceful. We need to visit nature so we can see and feel these things.

My Creator, let me learn nature’s lessons.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day October 7

“We have a biological father and mother, but our real Father is Tunkashila [Creator] and our real Mother is the Earth.”
–Wallace Black Elk, LAKOTA

Who really gives us our life? Who really gives us our food and nurturing? Who really allows us to be born? We are born through our parents who act as the vehicle of life for the Creator and Mother Earth. Our parents take care of us for a little while and when we are ready we must leave them and be faithful to our true Father, the Creator, and our true Mother, the Earth. Then we need to be of service to the Creator and be respectful to Mother Earth.

Great Spirit, thank you for being my Father. Teach me to honor the Earth.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day October 8

“I think there was a big mistake made (when) people separated religion and the government. That was one of the big mistakes that was made, because when they did that, then they removed the Creator from their life – or at least from half to three-quarters of their life.”
–Tom Porter, MOHAWK

The Elders tell us that every thing the Creator made is interconnected. Nothing can be separated. The Elders say we should pray before we do anything. We should ask the Creator, what do You want us to do? We are put on the Earth to do the will of God. If we run our governments, communities, families, or ourselves. Without the spiritual we are doomed to failure.

My Creator, guide my life to include the spiritual in everything I do.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day October 9

“That spiritual power I wear is much more beautiful and much greater. We call it wisdom, knowledge, power and gift, or love. There are these four parts to that spiritual power. So I wear those. When you wear that power it will beautify your mind and spirit. You become beautiful. Everything that Tunkashila creates is beautiful.”
–Wallace Black Elk, LAKOTA

When I was young, I asked my grandfather, “What should I pray for?” He thought for a long time and then he said, “Pray only for wisdom and for the knowledge of love.” This makes a lot of sense. No matter what happens I ask the Creator to show me the lessons I should be learning. I pray for Him to help me learn the lessons. By doing this everyday we become beautiful human beings.

Great Spirit, grant me Your wisdom.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day October 10

“I think that’s what unity is – knowing one another,coming together, and working with no conflict.”
–Chief Alan Wilson, HAIDA

When we are aligned with spiritual values, we cannot be in fear or conflict. When we are aligned to spiritual values, we have the Creator whispering solutions in our ears. Unity is one of the spiritual values. When we value unity we value solutions. If we think this way, then we have no conflict within ourselves.

Great Spirit, let me see through Your eyes.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day October 11

“Men and women have an equal responsibility to restore the strength of the family, which is the foundation of all cultures.”
–Haida Gwaii Traditional Circle of Elders

The family is the heartbeat of strength of the culture. The grandfathers and grandmothers taught their children; they in turn had children who taught their children. If the family isn’t taught the culture, then the children become adults, and the adults become the grandfathers and grandmothers, and the result is the culture becomes lost. This is how language is lost; this is how dances are lost; this is how knowledge is lost. We need to listen to our Elders, today, before it’s too late.

Great Spirit, teach me the culture so I can teach the children.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day October 13

“So unbelievable things like that happen. But you have to believe it first. Not wait until you see it first, then touch it, then believe it… You have to say it from the heart.”
–Wallace Black Elk, LAKOTA

The power of our belief system is incredible. The power of faith is a very natural power. How do we have faith? Inside of our minds we form a mental picture with our self talk. Self talk is recorded in our minds in three dimensions – words that trigger a picture, which has a feeling or an emotion attached to it. Once we get the words and the picture, it is the emotion that makes the idea turn into a belief. You get the right emotion by saying things from the heart. The heart is the source of emotions which can cause unbelievable things to happen.

Great Spirit, with You everything is possible.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day October 14

“Each soul must meet the morning sun, the new sweet earth and the Great Silence alone!”
–Ohiyesa (Dr. Charles A. Eastman), SANTEE SIOUX

The most important thing we can do during the course of the day is pray in the morning. There is a special time in the morning that has great power. This is the exact time the sun is rising. During the rising of the sun, everything on the Earth is waking up. Animals, plants, birds, and humans will be blessed at the rising of the sun. This is a special time to help us prepare for the day. During this time we ask the Creator to bless our day. We ask Him to guide us, to protect us and to give us courage to overcome the day’s obstacles. Doing this everyday will give us knowledge of God’s will for us.

Grandfather, Grandmother, guide my path. Let my thinking be guided by You

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day October 15

“All of us begin to rethink what is good about ourselves – put the past where it belongs – and get on with the possibilities of the present!”
–Howard Rainer, TAOS PUEBLO-CREEK

There is a saying, you move toward and become that which you think about. So the question for today is, what are you thinking about? Are you thinking bad things about yourself or are you thinking good things about yourself? Are you thinking about a worldly life? Are you thinking good things about people or are you gossiping about people? Are you focusing on past things or are you living in the future? We need to bring our thoughts into the NOW, right here.

Great Spirit, let me experience living in the present moment.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day October 16

“Many religions have been brought to this land. And the way my religion is, they teach me, and they taught me, and told me to respect all religions. And I still do that.”
–Horace Axtell, NEZ PERCE

The Creator put on this Earth many different religions which represent different roads to walk to God. All religions are right and good if the path is the path to God. Should we be judging which road is better or worse than the other? When we accept each other’s way we can stand in a circle, hold hands and listen to each other as we pray to God. Let us be more accepting of the religions of others.

Great Spirit – God, Grandfather, Grandmother, Lord – let me know peace.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day October 17

“Peace… comes within the souls of men when they realize their relationship, their oneness, with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize that at the center of the Universe dwells Wakan-Tanka, and that this center is really everywhere, it is within each of us.”
–Black Elk (Hehaka Sapa) OGLALA SIOUX

If we are to know peace we must look within ourselves. In order to do this, we must learn to be still. We must quiet the mind. We must learn to meditate. Meditation helps us locate and find the center that is within ourselves. The center is where the Great One resides. When we start to look for peace, we need to realize where it is within ourselves. When we experience conflict we need to pause for a moment and ask the Power within ourselves, “How do you want me to handle this? What would you suggest I do in this situation?” By asking the Higher Power for help we find peace.

Creator, help me to find peace.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day October 20

“As Elders, it is our place to show respect to our young people in order to gain respect.”
–Grace Azak, NISGA’A

The attitude of our leaders will be the attitude of the people. The attitude of the parents will be the attitude of the children. If respect is shown from above, respect will be developed below. If the Elders show respect, the younger people will be respectful. As above, so below. This happens because of interconnectedness. The heart of the Elders is connected to the heart of the youth.

Great Spirit, in the fall season let me respect both the Elders and the youth.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day October 21

“There is one Creator looking down on us all. We are children of the one Creator. The Creator is listening to me. The sun, the darkness, the winds are all listening to what we now say.”
–Geronimo, APACHE

The Old Ones before us knew things. Many of them were so spiritual that the Creator told them things through visions, ceremonies, and prayer. The Creator taught them about interconnectedness, balance and respect. The Old Ones experienced these things and told us we are all children of the same Creator. We all live under the same natural laws. Every human being, every animal, every plant, every insect, every bird, we are all the same in the eyes of Creator.

Great Mystery, teach me to respect all the things You have created.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day October 23

“We do not walk alone. Great Being walks beside us. Know this and be grateful.”
–Polingaysi Qyawayma, HOPI

Many religions have different names for these Beings. Some are called angels, some are called spirits. These Spirit Beings are helpers. They guide us, protect us and will help us during our times of need. Sometimes they give us dreams. We need not be afraid when these Spirit Helpers come. We need to understand they are the Creator’s helpers.

Great Spirit, send me the helpers to guide my path as I seek to walk in Your service.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day October 24

“We create that bad among ourselves. We create it; then we try to call it devil, satan, or evil. But man creates it. There is no devil. Man creates the devil.”
–Wallace Black Elk, LAKOTA

Inside every human being are the laws and codes by which we should live. These laws and codes are communicated to us through a little voice. When we are still, this voice guides us. If we choose to live out of harmony, our lives become filled with anger, hate, selfishness, dishonesty, etc… When these things appear in our lives, we give up accountability and blame it on something or someone else. If we want to live in harmony, we need to pray our way back to living the principles the Creator gave us.

Grandfather, today let me walk with the principles.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day October 25

“What does it matter how long I pray, so long as my prayers are answered?”
–Sitting Bull, HUNKPAPA LAKOTA

Too often we worry about the words we use in prayer. We focus on the words. What really counts is the spirit and intent behind our words. It is the spirit and intent that the Creator responds to. He reads and listens to our heart. Prayer isn’t only when we fold our hands and pray. Prayer is when we talk to the Creator even when we are walking down a path or sitting on a hill or walking in the mountains. The Elders say, walk in prayer. We should be willing to talk with the Great One.

Great Spirit, today I will pray to You all day. Listen to my heart.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day October 26

“It seems that if Elders can feel that you are open to learning, they are more than generous with their teaching.”
–Chief Councilor, Lenard George

There is a saying, when the student is ready the teacher appears. If the Elders sense that you are ready, they will help you see and learn new things. Most human beings love to share what they know with people who are excited to listen. If you are talking to someone and you feel they really aren’t listening, you won’t want to tell them much. Before you go talk to the Elders, examine your motives – are you really excited about listening to them?

My Creator, give me an open mind.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day October 27

“O Great Spirit Whose voice I hear in the winds, And whose breath gives life to all the world, hear me! I am small and weak. I need your strength and wisdom. Let me walk in beauty and make my eyes ever behold the red and purple sunset.”
–from, PRAYER TO THE GREAT SPIRIT

The Great Spirit runs the world and the people by a set of natural laws and principles. He says we are to live our lives and make decisions that will be in harmony with these laws. He says we should be respectful to all things and to all people. He says we should pray for each other. He says we should forgive one another. It is easy to tell if a person is following the ways of the Great Spirit. You can tell by how a man walks in life. He doesn’t need to say anything. If we are dishonest or deceitful, other people will know. This is true because we are all interconnected in the Unseen World.

My Creator, let me obey Your ways. Let me Walk the Talk.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day October 28

“Our religion seems foolish to you, but so does yours to me. The Baptists and Methodists and Presbyterians and the Catholics all have a different God. Why cannot we have one of our own?”
–Sitting Bull, HUNKPAPA LAKOTA

The Creator gave each culture a path to God. To the Indian people, he revealed that the Creator is in everything. Everything is alive with the Spirit of God. The water is alive. The trees are alive. The woods are alive. The mountains are alive. The wind is alive. The Great Spirit’s breath is in everything and that’s why it’s alive. All of nature is our church, we eat with our families in church, we go to sleep in church.

My Creator, let us leave people to worship You in the way You have taught them.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day October 30

“My children, you have forgotten the customs and traditions of your forefathers. …You have bought guns, knives, kettles, and blankets from the white man until you can no longer do without them; and what is worse you have drunk the poison firewater, which turns you into fools. Fling all these things away; live as your forefathers did before you.”
–Pontiac, ODOWA

We need to think as our forefathers did. They knew the culture and the customs. The culture taught them how to live in harmony with each other. We need to think like this again. We must be God-reliant. We don’t need the firewater. This liquid is very destructive to our native people. It kills our spirit. Our Indian people are happiest when we are spiritual. When we depend on anyone or anything else, we get off track. We need to talk to the Elders and find out what the old ways were. We need to ask them to teach us the culture, the tradition, and the customs. This will help us become whole again.

My Maker, guide my path as you did my ancestors.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day October 31

“One is not born a Tewa but rather one is made a Tewa… once made, one has to work hard continuously throughout one’s life to remain a Tewa.”
–Alfonso Ortiz, SAN JUAN PUEBLO

Being Indian is being spiritual. It is not the color of our skin. Being Indian is how we think. We need to learn our culture, our language, our dances, our traditions, and customs. It is one thing to know these things, but another to live them. We need to spend time with the Elders and get their guidance. We need to go to the mountains, woods, and desert to pray. Being spiritual is the way for us to think right. Walking the Red Road and thinking right is the greatest gift we can give to our children.

Grandfather, help me to Walk the Talk.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day November 1

“Times change but principles do not. Times change but lands do not. Times change but our culture and our language remain the same. And that’s what you have to keep intact. It’s not what you wear – it’s what’s in your heart.”
–Oren Lyons, ONONDAGA

Going back to the old ways doesn’t mean giving up electricity, homes, and cars. It means living by the same principles, laws, and values that our ancestors lived by. This will allow us to live successfully in today’s world. The spirituality our ancestors lived is the same spirituality we need in these modern times. There are too many influences from TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, and negative role models that are guiding our lives in a bad way. Our stability is in the laws, principles, and values that our ancestors were given and that our Elders teach us.

Great Spirit, let me live my life in a spiritual way.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day November 2

“Praying is what has brought us old people through life. We’ve all gone through hard times. We’ve all done our share of bad things. But through our prayers and faith in the Creator we get together again and we try hard to live right.”
–Paula Weasel Head, BLOOD

As we go through life we find ourselves on track one day and off track the next day. We gain consistency through prayer. Prayer is our connection to the Great Spirit. Prayer is our channel for knowledge and wisdom. Prayer is how we keep our sanity. The Elders say we should walk in prayer.

Great Spirit, teach me to walk in prayer. Help keep my faith strong.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day November 3

“A sundance woman is like the morning star, filled with spiritual beauty, wisdom and knowledge. Men and women are the most powerful of the polarities. We walk beside men as equal partners. It takes men and women who have respect and love for one another to live within the embrace of Father Sky and Mother Earth.”
–Dr. Henrietta Mann, SOUTHERN CHEYENNE

Our ceremonies bring out the best in us. It’s in the ceremony that we find the place of honor and respect for each other. The place where the men honor the women and the women honor the men. We dance for each other. The ceremony helps us remember our responsibility toward each other. Men and women need to be strong, to love one another and be faithful. Only by doing this can we give our children knowledge of good relationships.

Great Spirit, today I will notice the power of the women; today I will notice the power of the men.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day November 6

“It is well to be good to women in the strength of our manhood because we must sit under their hands at both ends of our lives.”
–He Dog, OGLALA LAKOTA

The women bring us into this life and nurture us as we grow up. When we reach our manhood, she supports us and sings the songs to help the family grow. The Elders say we must look at the woman in a sacred way. We must realize how special her powers are in bringing forth life. The woman will bring balance to a man. The woman will help him see. It is said, behind every successful man is a supporting woman. Maybe we should examine how we are thinking about women. The Great Spirit says we should honor them. Are we respecting and honoring our women today?

Grandmother, Grandfather thank you for our women. Today, let me honor them.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day November 7

“Abuse and repression have no place in a traditional family.”
–Haida Gwaii, Traditional Circle of Elders

Traditional families guided by their culture were taught how to live. The were taught about relationships, respect, and spirituality. Only since alcohol was introduced to Indians have we seen physical abuse, sexual abuse and verbal abuse. These behaviors have no room in traditional families. The cycle of abuse must be broken during this generation. We do this by asking for help to quit drinking and abusing and return to our traditional culture and spirituality.

Creator, plant inside of me the knowledge of the traditional family.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day November 12

“I don’t think that anybody anywhere can talk about the future of their people or of an organization without talking about education. Whoever controls the education of our children controls our future, the future of the Cherokee people, and of the Cherokee Nation.”
–Wilma P. Mankiller, CHEROKEE

The world has changed in the last 50 years. It will change even more in the next 50 years, and it will change even faster. We must educate ourselves to ensure our future generations will maintain the language and the culture of our people. We need to be concerned about our land because when our land goes away, so will our people. We need to be concerned about leadership, our families, and about alcoholism. We need to be concerned about what’s going on around the world. We can only do this by being educated. Then we can control our future.

Great Spirit, please guide our children; let me know how I can help.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day November 14

“The hearts of little children are pure, and therefore, the Great Spirit may show to them many things which older people miss.”
–Black Elk (Hehaka Sapa) OGLALA LAKOTA

Sometimes adults think they know more than the children. But the children are closer to the truth. Have you ever noticed how quickly they can let go of resentments? Have you ever noticed how free they are of prejudice? Have you ever noticed how well the children listen to their bodies? Maybe adults need to be more like children. They are so innocent. The children pray to the Creator and trust that He will take care of them.

Grandfather, today let the children be my teacher.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day November 15

“Our Spiritual belief is that we were created as part of the land – so our identity, our names, and our songs are all tied to the land.”
–Chief Roderick Robinson, NISGA’A

In the traditional way, the names of native people had great meaning. We even had naming ceremonies. The naming of someone was very important and had great significance because it was tied to the Earth. The identity of each member and the teachings of the songs were all tied to Mother Earth. We need to know these teachings from our culture. This knowledge will help us heal the people.

My Maker, today help me find my identity.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day November 16

“We do not want riches, but we want to train our children right. Riches would do us no good. We could not take them with us to the other world. We do not want riches, we want peace and love.”
–Red Cloud, OGLALA LAKOTA

The Elders say that what is important is peace and love. To have material things is okay, but if not, that’s okay too. To have peace and love is more important than anything material. Our children will see the value of peace and love only if adults show they are a priority. Too often we think we can offer material things and they will replace the time spent with our children. But the most important way to give our children peace and love is to spend time with them.

My Creator, give me Your peace and love today.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day November 17

“Humbleness means peace and honesty — both mean Hopi. True, honest, perfect words — that’s what we call Hopi words. In all languages, not just in Hopi. We strive to be Hopi. We call ourselves Hopi because maybe one or two of us will become Hopi. Each person must look into their heart and make changes so that you may become Hopi when you reach your destination.”
–Percy Lomaquahu, HOPI

The Creator has made available to us all the laws, principles and values which we need to know to live in harmony. The Creator also designed each human being to learn and grow by trial and error. We have tools to help us live the right way. We have prayers, visions, nature, teachers, Elders, and we have the Great Spirit to talk to and ask for help when we have problems. We also have choice. To walk the Red Road takes courage and a lot of prayer.

Creator, give me courage to walk the Red Road.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day November 18

“Power is not manifested in the human being. True power is in the Creator.”
–Oren Lyons, ONONDAGA

The Old Ones say the only true power is spiritual power. Sometimes our egos tell us we have power but really we don’t. Great Spirit power is called by other names such as love, forgiveness, intelligence, life, principles, and laws. When the Creator uses this power to make the human being powerful, we must stay humble. We should constantly acknowledge that we are who we are. We do what we do because of the power of the Great One.

Great One, guide me to use Your power well. I will use it only to serve the people.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day November 21

“In the absence of the sacred, nothing is sacred, everything is for sale.”
–Oren Lyons, ONONDAGA

The Elders often say that when something is sacred it has spiritual value. You’ll hear, on the Earth there are sacred spots. You’ll hear, our ceremonies are sacred, our children are sacred, marriage is sacred. When something is sacred it means it’s so holy you can’t attach a value to it. Therefore, it’s not for sale. It’s an insult to suggest buying something sacred. On the other hand, if we look at it differently, as there is no sacred land, ceremonies are not sacred, our children are not sacred, etc., then everything is for sale. Sacredness creates spiritual space. Sacredness makes things holy. Sacredness shows respect for God.

Great Spirit, let me honor things that are sacred.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day November 23

“We’re sitting on our blessed Mother Earth from which we get our strength and determination, love and humility, all the beautiful attributes that we’ve been given. So turn to one another; love one another; respect one another; respect Mother Earth; respect the waters-because that’s life itself!”
–Phil Lane, Sr. YANKTON SIOUX

Our entire point of view can be altered by making one change to align with the principles of the Great Spirit. Let’s say we decide to become respectful. As we become respectful, our attitude will change. We will automatically draw into our lives knowledge about the other principles of the Great Spirit such as love, appreciation, trust, beauty, and peace of mind. By focusing on these principles, we will let go of selfishness, self centeredness, self pity, dishonesty, and fear. You focus on respect, you get respect; you focus on love, you get love; you focus on the Red Road, you get peace of mind.

Great Spirit, let me learn the lessons of respect.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day November 24

“Things would go well for us if we would think positively about everything.”
–Mary Hayes, CLAOQUOT

Each of our thoughts are like individual seeds. These thoughts will plant our life garden. Whatever our thoughts, they grow in our gardens. Each day we will process about 50,000 thoughts or thought seeds. Positive thoughts will produce positive results. Have you ever been aware of what you are thinking about during the day? Of the possible 50,000 thoughts in one day – if the positive thoughts were flowers and the negative thoughts were weeds – how would your garden look at the end of the day?

Great Spirit, let me plant positive seeds.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day November 25

“People and nations who understand the Natural Law are self-governing, following the principles of love and respect that insure freedom and peace.”
–Traditional Circle of Elders, NAVAJO-HOPI Joint Use Area

The Natural Laws work hand-in-hand with the circle. Each part of a circle will look to the center and will see something different. For example, if you put an irregular shaped object in the center of a circle and you have people standing in a circle around the object, each one will describe it differently. Everyone in the circle will be right. Only by honoring and respecting everyone’s input, can the truth about the object be revealed. We need to learn to honor differences.

My Creator, let me honor all differences.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day November 26

“In our traditional ways, the woman is the foundation of the family.”
–Haida Gwaii Traditional Circle of Elders

We must pay attention to the role of the woman in the family. She is the heartbeat of the family. She should be respected and treated in a sacred manner. We should listen to her guidance. We should help make her role easier by helping with chores or just telling her how much we appreciate her.

Great Spirit, I ask you to bless all the moms.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day November 27

“The Natural Law is a spiritual law. Its powers are both light and dark.”
–Oren R. Lyons, Spokesman Traditional Circle of Elders

There are some characteristics that are evident in the system which the Creator made. He made balance, harmony, and polarity. In other words, every (+) plus has a (-) minus. Every positive has a negative; every up has a down; every problem has a solution. The Spiritual Law is the same – it has light and dark. Both are good, so both need to be honored. Lessons can be learned on both sides.

Great Spirit, teach me the powers of the Natural Laws.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day November 28

“People say that crisis changes people and turns ordinary people into wiser or more responsible ones.”
–Wilma Mankiller, CHEROKEE

There is a saying, conflict precedes clarity. The Medicine Wheel teachings say, in order for something to change it must first go through a struggle. When a crisis enters our lives, other powers are there to help us. We will learn some lessons. Will I honor and respect the next crisis?

Great Spirit, if a crisis occurs today, let me learn the lessons of wisdom.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day November 29

“Life, the circle, a measurement with no beginning and no end.”
–Phillip Deere, MUSKOGEE-CREEK

The circle teaches us how the Creator made things and how to live. It teaches us how we should look at creation. Life travels in a circle. In the East is the baby, to the South is the youth, in the West is the adult and in the North is the Elder. Then we return to the Earth Mother to start the cycle again. We observe what is `around us’ from the center of the circle. This develops our point of view. We must be careful not to become self-centered.

Great Spirit, let me observe life from the circle’s point of view.

Like this, one of the reason that I like to say, "Don't leave someone outside the circle because of your limited belief and narrow outlook."

http://img0.liveinternet.ru/images/attach/c/2/66/993/66993777_52744923_4c605493e7d4523f92ff610c804dbeac 549ed142418431.gif

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day November 30

“Someone must speak for them. I do not see a delegation for the four footed. I see no seat for eagles. We forget and we consider ourselves superior, but we are after all a mere part of the Creation.”
–Oren Lyons, ONONDAGA

Whenever we make decisions, we need to look around to see who would be affected. If we change the course of a river, who, what will be affected? If we put poison on the gardens, who, what will be affected? If wee cut the trees and too many are cut, who, what will be affected? We need to become aware of the consequences of our actions. We need to pay attention to our thoughts. We are accountable to our children to leave the Earth in good shape.

My Creator, help me make right decisions

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day December 1

“Sometimes dreams are wiser then waking.”
–Black Elk (Hehaka Sapa), OGLALA

The Great Spirit has many ways of communicating with the human being. He talks to us through the five senses; sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. For example, we can observe nature and see a lesson or get an answer. These five senses function primarily in the physical world. But we also have the ability to receive communication from the Unseen World. To do this we have a sixth sense. It comes in the form of dreams, imagination, intuition, inspiration, or a hunch. Along with the dream or intuitive thought there is a feeling, a knowing. We just know it’s true without the need for proof. We need to pay attention to our dreams and intuition. Don’t cast them off as being silly or useless. Be respectful to our dreams and feelings.

Creator, if you speak to me through dreams, let me know it in terms I can understand.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day December 2

“The smarter a man is the more he needs God to protect him from thinking he knows everything.”
–George Webb, PIMA

A spiritual person needs to be careful. The more confident we are, the more likely our egos will get us into trouble. It’s relatively easy to become self-righteous. We start to think we are teachers and others are students. We start to judge others. We start, very subtly at first, to play God. After a while we really get good at it. This is very dangerous. We need to remind ourselves, we are here to do God’s will. We need to pray every morning. Each day we need to check in with God to see what He would have us do. At night we need to spend time with God and review our day. By doing these things, we will stay on track.

My Creator, guide my path and show me how to correct my life.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day December 3

“Listen to the howl of our spiritual brother, the wolf, for how it goes with him, so it goes for the natural world.”
–Oren R. Lyons, Spokesman, Traditional Circle of Elders

If we watch nature, we can tell a lot about what is going on in the world. The animals and the plants are great teachers. Some time ago, crops were sprayed with a poison to kill the insects. Other animals ate the insects. The small animals were eaten by the Eagles and the Wolves. We live in an interconnected system. What we do to one, we do to all. If our spiritual brothers are living in balance, chances are we humans are also living in balance.

Great Spirit, let me listen to my Earth teachers, the plants and the animals.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day December 8

“We as men should not fear our mates; we should listen to their counsel.”
–Oren R. Lyons, Spokesman, Traditional Circle of Elders

The Elders say the men should look at women in a sacred way. The men should never put women down or shame them in any way. When we have problems, we should seek their counsel. We should share with them openly. A woman has intuitive thought. She has access to another system of knowledge that few men develop. She can help us understand. We must treat her in a good way.

Great Spirit, let me look upon the woman in a good way.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day December 10

“Come forward and join hands with us in this great work for the Creator.”
–Traditional Circle of Elders, NORTHERN CHEYENNE

The Elders have spent years learning to pray and communicate with the Great Spirit. Their job is to pass this knowledge onto the young people. The Elders have told us we are now in a great time of healing. The Creator is guiding them to help the young people figure this out. We must get involved and participate. We should pray and see what it is the Great Spirit wants us to do. We need to sacrifice our time to help the people and to be of maximum use to the Creator. Every person is needed to accomplish this great healing.

Creator, whisper what You want me to do.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day December 11

“Peace… comes within the souls of men when they realize their relationship, their oneness, with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize that at the center of the Universe dwells Wakan-Tanka, and that this center is really everywhere, it is within each of us.”
–Black Elk (Hehaka Sapa) OGLALA SIOUX

If we are to know peace we must look within ourselves. In order to do this, we must learn to be still. We must quiet the mind. We must learn to meditate. Meditation helps us locate and find the center that is within ourselves. The center is where the Great One resides. When we start to look for peace, we need to realize where it is within ourselves. When we experience conflict we need to pause for a moment and ask the Power within ourselves, “How do you want me to handle this? What would you suggest I do in this situation?” By asking the High Power for help we find peace.

Creator, help me to find peace.

http://www.angelwinks.ca/images/globe27.jpg

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day December 12

“In order for our children to survive in the world, they need a firm understanding and belief in the basic principles of sharing freedom and respect of individuality.”
–Haida Gwaii, Traditional Circle of Elders

There is a saying: Tell me, I’ll forget; Show me, I’ll remember; Engage me; I’ll understand. The adults need to determine what the younger generation is learning. The principle of sharing keeps the youth from being greedy and selfish. The principle of freedom teaches the youth about choices, decisions and consequences. The principle of respect keeps us from playing God and becoming a controller of all things. We need to learn these lessons so we may demonstrate them for our children.

Great Teacher, help me to understand Your principles.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day December 13

“In our language there is no word to say inferior or superiority or equality because we are equal; it’s a known fact. But life has become very complicated since the newcomers came here. And how does your spirit react to it?. It’s painful. You have to be strong to walk through the storm. I know I’m a bridge between two worlds. All I ask is for people to wash their feet before they try to walk on me.”
–Alanis Obomsawin, ABENAKI

For native people who speak their language, English can be very confusing. Many times you cannot express in English the true meaning of Indian words. When we hear something in English we sometimes react or our spirit reacts. Sometimes we need to use English words out of order to express our true meanings. We need to be patient and pray. Living in two worlds can be difficult. Life is painful sometimes. The pain of life is where the lessons are learned.

Creator, let me learn the lessons You have taught my people.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day December 15
“People are equal partners with the plants and animals, not their masters who exploit them.”
–Haida Gwaii, Traditional Circle of Elders
As human beings, we are not above anything nor are we below anything. Because of being equal, we need to discuss a little about the value of respect. Not just respect when it comes to human beings, but respect when it comes to everything. We are not masters over things; we are caretakers for the Great Spirit. We need to treat all things with respect.
Great Spirit, let me accept and see all things as equal.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day December 18
“Parents have to demonstrate the value of trust, respect, and honor.”
–Haida Gwaii, Traditional Circle of Elders
Children learn more by watching than by listening. If we want our children to understand and value trust, they know it by watching how adults live their lives! If we want the children to be respectful, they will observe what the adults do and say to each other. We need to walk our talk. We need to remember the children are watching.
Grandfather, help me learn these important values: Trust, Respect, and Honor.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day December 19
“Flexible strength is better than inflexible. Let the storm flow over you, and then pop back up.”
–Michael Kabotie, HOPI
Flexibility is taught by nature. You will see the trees bend in the wind. You will see that tree branches are flexible. To be rigid is to break. When we have life problems it is good for us to be flexible. Sometimes we need to flow with what is going on. If we resist, it becomes more painful. We need to be on the path of least resistance. Water flows down the mountain through the path of least resistance. Electricity flows through the path of least resistance. Power flows through the path of least resistance. As Indian people our strength has always been our flexibility.
Creator, I will be flexible today because I know You are with me.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day December 20
“My pottery is the handiwork of God.”
–Teresita Naranjo, SANTA CLARA PUEBLO
The Great One has given every human being at least one special talent and one special gift. We need to develop and practice these gifts because they are the handiwork of God. Maybe we are artists-when people look at our work it puts joy in their hearts; maybe we are singers- when people listen to our songs, their hearts are happy; maybe we are writers of song or poetry-when people hear or read our work, it may change their lives. We need to honor ourselves and our gifts. We need to thank the Creator for our talents and our gifts.”
My Creator, let me use my gifts to further Your work on the Earth.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day December 21

“He [The Great Spirit] only sketches out the path of life roughly for all the creatures on earth, shows them where to go, where to arrive, but leaves them to find their own way to get there. He wants them to act independently according to their nature, to the urges of each of them.
–Lame Deer, LAKOTA
Every person is created with purpose and with direction. This purpose and direction is written in our hearts when we are conceived. In addition, we are given access to a quiet guidance system which helps us find our purpose and our direction. We need to recognize this guidance system. It’s called intuition, the quiet voice, urges, the knowing, or the feeling. Once we locate our purpose and direction, we are given skills, talents and abilities that are unique to only ourselves. We must practice daily prayer and meditation with God to find this information. To be solid and confident in ourselves, we always need to be able to answer three questions: why am I?, who am I?, and where am I going? If I can answer these three questions, I always know I’m OK!
Great Spirit, show me my path of life.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day December 23
“It’s not the package and the wrapping which counts but what is inside, underneath the clothes and the skin.”
–Lame Deer, LAKOTA
Our eyes and ears gather information that is fed to the mind, and we tend to form judgements, opinions, and assumptions which determine our perception. We might see someone act a certain way, then label that person forever, not at all concentrating on what is inside the person. It matters not our height, our size, our facial features, or our gender. What matters is our thoughts. Good thoughts overcome all obstacles.
Great Spirit, let my inside contain Your qualities

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day December 25
“When you see a new trail, or a footprint that you do not know, follow it to the point of knowing.”
–Grandmother of Charles Eastman, SANTEE SIOUX
We never gain new knowledge or new experience unless we are willing to take risks. It’s good to be curious. Also, it pays to be cautious. Walk in balance. The path of the Warrior is filled with opportunities to seek new knowledge. As we travel down the Red Road, we will run into trails of opportunity. Down each of these trails are experiences from which we will learn. Experience plus action is the beginning of knowledge.”
Great Spirit, help me to make good choices in choosing only the trails You would have me take.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day December 26
“The way of knowledge is like our old way of hunting. You begin with a mere trail – a footprint. If you follow that faithfully, it may lead you to a clearer train – a track – a road. Later on there will be many tracks, crossing and diverging one from the other. Then you must be careful, for success lies in the choice of the right road.”
–Many Lightenings Eastman, SANTEE SIOUX
An entire apple tree is initially contained in the seed. Visions are initially contained in the idea. If you trace the path of a blooming flower backwards, it goes from the blooming flower back to a bud, back to a stem, back to a seed. So it is in the way of knowledge. Often we will experience a hunch or a feeling that we are supposed to do something. At first it may not make any sense. This is the seed stage. Once we start to investigate, more gets revealed. As more is revealed, the more knowledge we get. This is the way the Great Spirit guides us.

Great Spirit, help me to choose the right choices.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day December 27
“When temptation comes, I don’t say, `Yes,” and I don’t say, `No.’ I say, `Later,’ I just keep walking the Red Road – down the middle. When you’re in the middle, you don’t go to either extreme. You allow both sides to exist.”
–Dr. A. C. Ross (Ehanamani), LAKOTA
We need to practice controlling our focus. Whatever we focus on we become. We also become whatever we practice. We need to focus on balance. Whenever something comes along to tilt us off balance, we need to be grateful, because it allows the opportunity to practice our focus. Sometimes this is called temptation. Temptation in itself is not bad. What really counts is what we do with it when it happens. We need to practice controlling our focus and keeping our thinking focused on the Red Road.
Great Spirit, today, guide me through my temptations and allow me to focus on the Red Road.

[MajestyJo]

Elder’s Meditation of the Day December 31
“They must give themselves to Wakan’ Tanka and live a spiritual life. They will have the peace that frees them from fear.”
–Frank Fools Crow, LAKOTA
There are two wills available for us: self will and God’s will. Our choice is: figure it out ourselves, or have the Creator involved in our lives. If we are honest with ourselves and look at past experiences, what are our lives like when we try to figure it out ourselves? Is there fear, confusion, frustration, anger, attacking others, conflict, fault finding, manipulation, teasing others, belittling others or devaluation? If these things are present, they indicate that we are choosing self will. What is it like if we turn our will over to the Creator? What are the results if we ask the Great Spirit to guide our life? Examples are: freedom, choices, consequences, love, forgiveness, helping others, happiness, joy, solutions, and peace. Which will I choose today, self will or God’s will?
Creator, I know what my choice is. I want You to direct my life. I want You to direct my thinking. You are the Grandfather. You know what I need even before I do. Today I ask You to tell me what I can do for You today. Tell me in a way I can understand and I will be happy to do it.

[MajestyJo]

Belief is the acceptance of a map, faith is taking the voyage.


God and the Spider
(Author Unknown)

During World War II, a US marine was separated from his unit on a Pacific island. The fighting had been intense, and in the smoke and the crossfire he had lost touch with his comrades.

Alone in the jungle, he could hear enemy soldiers coming in his direction. Scrambling for cover, he found his way up a high ridge to several small caves in the rock. Quickly he crawled inside one of the caves. Although safe for the moment, he realized that once the enemy soldiers looking for him swept up the ridge, they would quickly search all the caves and he would be killed.

As he waited, he prayed, "Lord, if it be your will, please protect me. Whatever your will though, I love you and trust you. Amen."

After praying, he lay quietly listening to the enemy begin to draw close. He thought, "Well, I guess the Lord isn't going to help me out of this one." Then he saw a spider begin to build a web over the front of his cave.

As he watched, listening to the enemy searching for him all the while, the spider layered strand after strand of web across the opening of the cave.

"Hah," he thought. "What I need is a brick wall and what the Lord has sent me is a spider web. God does have a sense of humor."

As the enemy drew closer he watched from the darkness of his hideout and could see them searching one cave after another. As they came to his, he got ready to make his last stand. To his amazement, however, after glancing in the direction of his cave, they moved on. Suddenly, he realized that with the spider web over the entrance, his cave looked as if no one had entered for quite a while.

"Lord, forgive me," prayed the young man. "I had forgotten that in you a spider's web is stronger than a brick wall."

We all face times of great trouble. When we do, it is so easy to forget what God can work in our lives, sometimes in the most surprising ways. And remember with God, a mere spider's web becomes a brick wall of protection.

http://www.desiglitters.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Have-A-Great-Day-My-Friend.gif

[MajestyJo]

Believe In Yourself

http://angelwinks.ca/images/iq/qccatlionmirror.jpg

You are your greatest asset,
there is nothing you can't do.
No one can stop you from dreaming,
only you can stop them from coming true.

Your achievements are determined
by the desire that you possess
Believe in who you are
Believe in what you do
It's not a quirk of fate ...
It's strictly up to you.

- Author Unknown

[MajestyJo]

The Joys of Life

http://angelwinks.ca/images/thoughtpod/thoughtpod1003.jpg

Pick flowers * Walk in the rain * Admire nature

Hug trees * Kick leaves * Climb a hill

Be happy * Nurture and nourish your spirit

Believe in miracles * Listen to music * Write letters

Cook a meal for a friend * Dance under the stars

Take a risk * Learn from mistakes * Look for joy

Go on a holiday * Fly a kite * Splash in puddles

Believe you can and you will

Begin Today

[MajestyJo]

Live in the now.

Positive Pause:

http://positivepause.com

https://tse3.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.vdrR3HoGPQ_Ah9W0ZnMYZAEkEs&pid=15.1&P=0&w=300&h=300

[MajestyJo]

I Care About You

http://angelwinks.ca/images/iq/qcsunset1.jpg

Caring starts with little things...
A smile, a word, a deed,
The quiet understanding
Of another person's need.
It grows with every thoughtful act,
Each laugh or secret shared,
And all the little kindnesses
that whisper "someone cared."
I care...Just wanted you to know.

[MajestyJo]

Pass A Smile Along

http://angelwinks.ca/images/iq/qcteabears.jpg

Smiling is infectious,
you catch it like the flu.
When someone
smiled at me today,
I started smiling too.
I passed around the corner,
and someone saw my
grin...
When he smiled I realized,
I'd passed it on to him.
I thought about that smile,
then I realized its worth,
A single smile, just like mine,
could travel round the earth.
So, if you feel a smile begin,
don't leave it undetected...
Let's start an epidemic quick
and get the world Smile Infected!
- Author Unknown

[MajestyJo]

Anyone can feel more at peace and more energized through the process of forgiveness. This process reminds me of throwing off weights when riding in a hot air balloon so you can go higher up. Old anger, fear, and resentment are dead weights that slow us and drain our vitality. When you forgive the world—including yourself—you become lighter and much less fearful.

Doreen Virtue

http://angelwinks.ca/images/iq/qcraccoonwberries1.jpg

[MajestyJo]

http://angelwinks.net/iq/chqc30.jpg

Today, I am open to feeling the joy of being me.

Reach down to your well of happiness. Let it bubble up to the surface. Giggle and play with it all day. Laugh as if nobody's watching. Enjoy.

[MajestyJo]

For You, My Friend

http://angelwinks.ca/images/iq/qc2puppiesinbasket1r.jpg

Hey there, my friend
Have I told you today
Just how really great you are
In each and every way.

We've been friends for awhile now
Through good times and the bad
You always listen and give me a hug
And even help me when I'm sad.

I hope that you know
That I'm always here for you, too
You really are the very best
And there's nothing for you I wouldn't do!

©AngelWinks 2000

[MajestyJo]

A Friend So Dear

http://angelwinks.ca/images/iq/qcdognkittens1.jpg

What a joy it is to have
A friend as dear as you
To think about and care about
And count on always too.

And so today I'd like to say,
I'm grateful as can be
For all you do and all you are
And all you mean to me.

[MajestyJo]

Friendship Forever
http://angelwinks.ca/images/iq/qcbearnbunnyboat.jpg

We're joined in a friendship,
that time cannot sever
with bonds we have built,
we'll remain friends forever.

We're welded in spirit
attached by our hearts,
and fused by the feelings
that friendship imparts.

We're tied by emotions
connected by dreams
reinforced by our hopes
unified by extremes.

No longer a function
of time or of space
our love is a substance
that life won't replace.

No matter how distant
we'll always endeavor
to sense the full meaning of
~Friendship Forever~

- Author Unknown