TODAY'S GIFT FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS/AUGUST 2014

[MajestyJo]

Friday, August 1, 2014

You are reading from the book Today's Gift

Flying is largely a matter of having the right attitude--plus, of course, good wing feathers.
—E. B. White

The swan flies with majesty, confidence, and grace. It is made to fly, of course, but it learns as much about flying from its parents as it knows by instinct. It is not born with the ability to fly, but with the potential.

Each of us is born with the potential to fly in many skies. We may sing or dance or write or run, fix machines, teach children, speak, listen, sympathize. And we can do all things well, as only humans can. It is not the ability to do these things that makes us human; it's what we do with that ability.

Knowing how to prepare ourselves before we spread our wings is part of discovering what we can do. When we learn to ride a bike, we know we can do it; our parent's hand on the seat helps us know it.

Wanting to soar is the first part of the flight; it is studying, practicing, and asking for help that allows us to get off the ground.

What steps can I take today toward reaching my potential?

Have always figured the day should be started with Steps 1, 2, 3, I call it a Waltz. I can't, He can, Just for today, I choose to let Him.

End the day with Steps 10, 11, and 12, and the rest of the Steps in between, to be worked when applicable. They are really necessary when the past comes into today. So much of us is rooted in our past, we need to get to the root of the matter in order for it to heal.

[MajestyJo]

Saturday, August 2, 2014

You are reading from the book Today's Gift

Happiness is a mental habit, a mental attitude, and if it is not learned and practiced in the present it is never experienced.
—Maxwell Maltz

If only I had a new bike, then I'd be happy. If only my family were more understanding, then I'd be happy. If only my hair were styled better. If only I had more friends. If only... Sometimes we begin to sound like a broken record when things go wrong, so certain that if the events and conditions of our lives were different, we'd be happy.

It's an old and unfortunate habit that we look around outside ourselves for happiness. We can never be sure of it if we count on certain conditions to guarantee it. However, we can always be sure of happiness if we carry it with us wherever we go. The happiness habit can be developed, with practice, just as surely as good piano playing or accurate pitching. We can control our own thoughts. The decision to make them happy ones is ours to make.

Am I carrying my happiness within me right now?

The reason I am carrying my happiness within me today was because my son came here, paid me the money he owed me and left. He was already stoned, but that is his choice.

I looked up the meditation for Courage to Change today which said, "Today I will keep hands off and keep my focus where it belongs, one me.

...In All Our Affairs"

I am as happy as I choose to be. I may not be happy, but I have a choice to leave where I am at, and allow happiness to catch up with me.

[MajestyJo]

Sunday, August 3, 2014

You are reading from the book Today's Gift

Creativity is so delicate a flower that praise tends to make it bloom, while discouragement often nips it in the bud.
—Alex Osborn

A garden of flowers blooming is a beautiful sight to see. Through the green leaves surrounding a tulip we see hints of yellow or pink or red. Each day the flowers greet us with their radiant color. Yet, a sudden frost would wilt and fade the flowers.

Each time we create something new with our talents we are like a young flower opening. Whether we draw or write or sew or play a musical instrument, all creativity has this in common. Appreciation from those around us is like sunshine for the flowers. Harsh criticism, however, is like the cold air - it wilts and deadens our desire to create.

We all need warm encouragement for our endeavors, and we can give as well as receive it. In this way, creativity can bloom in our homes and our friendships, bringing a garden full of color and delight into our lives.

What encouragement can I offer to someone near me?

Be themselves, we are not all the same, we each have different gifts and we all use them differently.

I use to have a lot of time on my hands and I liked to format, put on pictures, and anything else that I could think of it to make things fancy, with the hope that they and others would come back to visit again.

I then realized it didn't matter how it was presented as long as it told the story, preferably one of recovery and how the program worked for them.

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/mammals-bears-love-texts/0014.gif

[MajestyJo]

Monday, August 4, 2014

You are reading from the book Today's Gift

Do I love you because you're beautiful
Or are you beautiful because I love you?
—Oscar Hammerstein

Once, a powerful king agreed to help a small, lost boy find his mother. Since the boy described his mother as the most beautiful woman in the world, the king commanded all the beautiful women in the kingdom to come to the castle.

From miles around, they came - women with complexions of porcelain and hair of spun gold, with cheeks the color of apricots and eyes as dark as the raven's. But none of them was the boy's mother. When the last of the women had paraded before them, and the king and the boy had begun to despair, they heard a timid knock on the door. "Come in," the king said wearily. In shuffled an old washerwoman, her grey hair tied up in a kerchief, her hands rough and red, her dress coarse and patched.

"Mother!" the boy cried when he saw her, and he leapt from his chair and raced into the woman's arms. The king stared in amazement.

Will I be able to see the real beauty in others today?

Such a beautiful thought. I am learning, I am better than I was and each day, God and I work on this.

[MajestyJo]

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

You are reading from the book Today's Gift

There is surely a piece of divinity in us, something that was before the elements...
—Sir Thomas Browne

One definition of divinity in the dictionary is "supreme excellence." It also means "god-like character" and "divine nature."

Doesn't that describe someone we love? When we are in love with someone, we see only the best of that person - it's impossible to see anything else. That person is "divine," we say, perfect for us, because he or she loves us and is lovable.

Each one of us has a part that is divine. We see it occasionally in others, and they see it in us when they love us. We can draw on that divine part of every person for strength and hope and courage and faith and love. There is wonderful, mysterious beauty in all of us, even when we behave badly.

What divinity do I see in those around me right now?

In my house, just me on a good day. Too isolated to see much around me with the exception of God's Gift by putting special people in my path when I need it.

I see a lot of people who are searching, others who aren't look, those who think they know it all and have tunnel vision and not open to God's Gifts, and others who don't know it is available.

[MajestyJo]

[QUOTE]
Wednesday, August 6, 2014

You are reading from the book Today's Gift

What matters?...Only the flicker of light within the darkness, the feeling of warmth within the cold, the knowledge of love within the void.
—Joan Walsh Anglund

If we were lost at sea, surrounded by darkness pierced only by one distant blinking light, we would follow that light. As we followed it, it would become clearer and brighter until it brought us safely to land.

Sometimes when we're depressed, we feel as though we're lost on a dark sea. But there is always a flicker of light for us. It may be prayer, or the love of a special friend. When we see that light, we need to move toward it. Whatever brings us hope is like that flicker of light. The more we seek it, the clearer and brighter the light will become.

When we are cold and our bodies begin to numb, we must keep moving. Movement will keep us alive. When our emotions are numb, we need people or things or places that will warm our hearts. When no one else is around, hot baths or a favorite treat can bring the warmth of our own self-love into our lives when we need it the most.

How can I brighten my inner light today?
Someone once asked how I was doing and I said, "I am having a great day." He said, "Then what are you doing here?" Here was a morning meeting and I told him, "Just passing it on."

I also think any day the sun shines is a good day. It is good to just go out, give thanks for my God's Creations. I like to sit up a bench and just soak up the soak up the sun and just be aware of what is around me.

[MajestyJo]

Thursday, August 7, 2014

You are reading from the book Today's Gift

Love consists in this, that two solitudes protect and touch and greet each other.

—Rainer Maria Rilke

For a relationship to be healthy and fulfilling, each of us must respect the other. "Two solitudes" is exactly what we are, and we will never be one, no matter how close we become. It may feel like that at times, but we always remain separate persons with our own thoughts, feelings, dreams, and interests.

When we love one another, we allow each other to be who we are, to have our own lives, for it is out of those separate lives that we bring strength and energy and life into our relationships.

We are meant to honor the differences between us. Often these differences lead to squabbles, but when we recognize that each of us is necessary to the union we have created, we create a better one, far superior to the sum of its parts.

What differences between us make our lives together better?

Communication!!!

[MajestyJo]

Friday, August 8, 2014

You are reading from the book Today's Gift

The important thing is not to conquer but to have fought at all.
—Olympic motto

People come from all over the world to participate in the Olympics, and they come with a wide range of talent. A lot of them know they will not win a medal, yet they have trained hard for their event. They meet people from all corners of the earth who love the same activity.

There is a contagious joy and excitement the athletes share in their time together. It is a sense that the sharing of worldwide joy and peace is indeed possible.

Whether we succeed or fail in what we do is not the essential thing. What is important is the heart with which we live our lives.

If I could share something with the world, what would it be?

That addiction and alcoholism are family disease. In most cases, the family choose other substance and behaviours, like caretaking and enabling.

The Steps of recovery are applicable to family and friends of alcoholics/addicts.

[MajestyJo]

Saturday, August 9, 2014

You are reading from the book Today's Gift

What is without periods of rest will not endure.
—Ovid

When we are tired, we need to stop and give ourselves time to rest. Sometimes we think we can't spare the time. But without rest, all our activity soon becomes a burden and there is no joy in it. Animals know it is necessary to take time to rest. This is part of the rhythm of life: activity and rest, effort and relaxation.

Our bad moods are often our body's way of telling us we need rest. When we were little, we needed naps. Somehow, we forget to allow ourselves this right when we are older. We are wise to remember we never outgrow this need for rest to make the day go better.

When we return to our day refreshed, we have given ourselves and all those around us the gift of ourselves at our best.

What can I do better when I am rested?


What we can give is our whole selves. We need to feed the body, mind, and spirit the food it needs to restore us.

Then what I do is pray and ask that I be a channel, and given the inner knowing that I need each day to stay clean and sober, each day.

When my son is in active addiction, I often feel like I am caught up in the old craziness, and I need to go to my God and work my program daily. It isn't about him, it is about me and my attitude and my recovery. He chooses to use, that is his choice. Just for today, I choose not to use and I need what I need for my own peace of mind.

[MajestyJo]

Sunday, August 10, 2014
You are reading from the book Today's Gift
It may be those who do most, dream most.
—Stephen Leacock

Where would we be without the dreamers of the world - the ones who took the time to balance on the edge of wonder? Amazing connections, powerful images, and creative ideas come to us in daydreams. They creep in when we least expect them, like sleek cats, and then make their presence known to us with a gentle pounce.

When we give ourselves permission to daydream - to sit for a while and do nothing but be quiet with our thoughts, we give ourselves a precious gift. And who knows, we just might be giving the world a priceless gift, too! Out of the seeds of some of our dreams, great ideas will blossom.

What first step can I take today to make a dream come true?

The first thing would be to pray. Then I would wait and let the faith come in to replace the fear. Then it would be up to do my part, to let go of the old to make room for the new.

[MajestyJo]

Monday, August 11, 2014

You are reading from the book Today's Gift

Friends are people who help you be more yourself, more the person you are intended to be.
—Merle Shain

Sometimes a teacher, sometimes a neighbor, almost always our moms and dads encourage us to try new activities or to improve our schoolwork, sports, drawing, or gardening. Because they are our friends, they want us to be the best we can be.

Not everyone knows how to be a friend. Some people only criticize and never praise. People who never encourage or praise us are usually unhappy with their own achievements. They don't mean us harm. Perhaps they just need a friend, too. Not only do we each need friends to help us grow, we need to be friends to others. To encourage and praise those who need it will help us in return.

Whose friend can I be today?

I was told it was best to be my own best friend. Willing to be a friend of anyone who asks.

As they say in Al-Anon, "Let us love you until you can love yourself." That kept me coming back to meetings.

[MajestyJo]

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

You are reading from the book Today's Gift

I don't think of all the misery, but of the beauty that still remains.
—Anne Frank

We don't find the rewards of today by searching through our misfortunes. Pausing to seek out something good for everything we find bad is a step in the right direction. We may find the good outweighs the bad.

But how much more chance we will have of living a happy day if we skip over our setbacks and concentrate as much as we can on what is going well. It is smarter to look for diamonds in a diamond mine than in a garbage dump.

Let us discard our failures, using only what we have learned from them to achieve success. Looking back at missed opportunities will make it impossible for us to recognize new chances to enjoy life to the fullest. Looking only for beauty is a beautiful thing in itself.

What beauty can I see around me right now?

The greatest thing is that I am still clean and sober.

Thanks to the program, I can see beyond what is in front of me and can see the beauty in things. Nothing is all positive or negative, there is a reality in there which shows my God's love and their God working in the life of someone or thing.

There is beauty to find in God's Handy Work. The picture that came to mind was old wood, wire and weeds, but when I look again, I can see the flowers on the weeds. I can look at the wood and wire and look and for some beauty in them, be it the way it is composed, the job they did in the past but can no longer do, and so much more. My God is everywhere.

[MajestyJo]

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

You are reading from the book Today's Gift

Many of our fears are tissue-paper-thin, and a single courageous step would carry us clear through them.
—Brendan Francis

There was a huge slide at the park and Jason was afraid to go on it. There were so many steps to climb to reach the top. All of his friends were climbing up the steps and yelling as they came down the long rolling slide.

"Come on," said his friend Steve. "It's lots of fun!"

"Isn't it scary?" asked Jason.

"A little bit," answered Steve, "but you get used to it." He ran off to go again.

Jason walked to the steps of the slide, his heart pounding in his chest. Slowly he placed his foot on the first step and lifted himself up. Courageously he climbed the ladder. When he reached the high platform he felt as if he were standing on top of the world.

We can learn from Jason that by taking that first step we can experience many exciting and wonderful things. We have all done it before, on the slide, on a bicycle, in school. Why not again?

What fear can I walk through today?

My biggest fear, my son may choose to carry the message,"To use is to die."

It is a daily fear that I have to let go of every time he disrespects my space by coming in after using. I set boundaries, reset boundaries, and he disregards them, thinking it is his right, I was a bad mother when I was in my own addiction. Even in recovery, he can't get past what was and the person who is in today. He finds it quite enjoyable to rub the past in my face. All I know was that I was the best mom I could be. I spent my money to make him look good, and trying to put food on the table for him. I know that I don't have to continue to pay for my actions, words and deeds, I had to learn to forgive myself.

[MajestyJo]

Thursday, August 14, 2014

You are reading from the book Today's Gift

The moment an individual can accept and forgive himself, even a little, is the moment in which he becomes to some degree lovable.
—Eugene Kennedy

If we owe a bill and pay it in full, do we return to pay that same bill over and over again? If we did, someone would surely question what was wrong with us. Yet, how often do we ask forgiveness for the same thing over and over again?

How wonderful to know that we do not have to condemn ourselves, even for not living up to a goal we have set for ourselves. Once we say we are sorry, we need to be willing to forgive ourselves. After all, how else do we learn and grow except by mistakes?

When we have forgiven ourselves, we become free to take risks again without fear of unforgivable failure, and who knows what new successes we might attain?

Is there something I can forgive myself for today?

For sleeping all day, just found out that my son didn't call when he came in from work, because he felt like I needed the rest. I had called him to tell him I wanted up, and he told me if I looked more at my health than my TV shows, I would feel better. I forgot to set the alarm. ;(

I didn't appreciate Him playing god with my life. I wanted to get my days and night back in their right place, but then I realized it had to be the right time for me. I do have a lot of day time appointments to get to for the next two weeks.

I had to forgive myself and him!

[MajestyJo]

Friday, August 15, 2014

You are reading from the book Today's Gift

Roots nourish, give us life and bind us safely to earth. Plant them well.
—Anonymous

All trees have different root systems. The pine grows quickly, with shallow roots that spread in every direction. A maple is a slow-growing tree, whose roots run deeper, seeking out moisture far into the earth. Both root systems give life, but when the weather turns stormy and the wind howls through the branches, the maple, with its deeper roots, will hold fast. Though the pine grows faster and needs only surface moisture, it cannot withstand the storm as well.

We often want things immediately. We want to play the piano, but only if we can learn it fast. We want others to love us right away, or we'll give up on them. If something we're doing doesn't go just so right from the start, we give up.

But the permanent things in life take time to develop. If we want our relationships, our skills, our accomplishments, to resist the storms we all encounter, we must allow time for them to grow and deepen within us, and marvel, in the meantime, at how much we can learn from the world around us.

What deep roots am I setting down right now?

Not sure I am setting down new one, but growing in the ones already in place. I know they need to be nurtured and life is about body, mind and spirit.

If I don't nourish, I become a dry drunk, or an old sober side, and/or a crotchety person no one wants to be around. You can call me all kinds of things, but you should hear the words I call myself. Just for today, I choose not to abuse myself or others. I like to give and share TLC, it is applicable to all things.

[MajestyJo]

Saturday, August 16, 2014

You are reading from the book Today's Gift

I'll be the sun upon your head,
The wind about your face,
My love upon the path you tread,
And upon your wanderings, peace.
—Gordon Bok

Today I will feel. I will feel wind and water, earth and sun. I will feel rain, the taste of it, and the soft sting of its coolness. I will feel the familiar touch of my shirt against my skin, my hair across my face in the wind.

Today I will feel love like a candle on a birthday cake that never goes out - no matter how much you blow on it. I will feel compassion like a toothache, a dull pain that lets me go about my business but never goes away. I will feel joy and sorrow, pain, and pleasure. Today I will feel. I will feel like a human being, unique as a snowflake, common as grass.

How many different ways do I feel today?

In today, too many, but my God and I will work through them.

I told the speaker at tonight's meeting, said he had real issues with the word God. He spoke of his search for an understanding of God. I went up to him after the meeting and said,"Spiritually is noticing a bird and all nature had to offer." I never noticed such things when I was using. I even threatened a bird outside my window with my shoe because he woke me up.

[MajestyJo]

Sunday, August 17, 2014

You are reading from the book Today's Gift

The word image is nothing more than the French word for picture.
—Roseann Lloyd

A positive image of our family can help us imagine healthy relationships. It can help us appreciate our family when it is working in a healthy way.

One woman took up looking at the pictures in her mind. At last she found one for her family, after considering ordinary pictures like a garden, a team, and a zoo. When her family is happy and thriving, she sees it as a mud pot in Yellowstone Park. Each person is energetic and relaxed. Each is free to bubble up ideas and feelings and projects, free to spout off, gurgle, and pop! Yet the family is together, sharing one old mud hole, warm and cozy, surrounded by beautiful pine trees.

Can I think of an image for my family?

For me there is no family, what I see and imagine, I would rather not. A lot of condescension, a lot of self-righteous talk, yet not living it. Talking and laughing at someone behind their back, is not good Christian living and on the other hand, my son who believes in no God, at least not one who cares for him. It is sad, all I can do is pray. If they want to judge me by my past, they can. I made things right with my God and I have no problems with looking myself in the mirror. I just got tired of being used and abused. As I have said before, "If that is Christian thinking, I want no part of it."

Jesus showed us the way to walk on this earth, I find none of those things in the principles in today. That makes me sad.

[MajestyJo]

Monday, August 18, 2014

You are reading from the book Today's Gift

Large streams from little fountains flow.
—David Everett

Somewhere nearby, no matter where we are, runs a creek. We've seen plenty of them, narrow and rocky. In summer it's hardly a creek at all, but in the spring, it feeds a mighty river.

Each of us is like that creek, a trickle contributing to some greater plan. Sometimes we feel dried up, contributing nothing. Often we feel small, rocky, not up to the task - when we can understand what the task is.

Sometimes the task seems too simple - get up each morning, love and work and live the day as honestly as we can. What kind of contribution is that? Sometimes it seems too complicated. How much more we could contribute if we could see the whole river - where it begins and ends - if we knew what would happen tomorrow.

So we ebb and flow. And in our moments of contentment, we know we are doing the best we can each day.

What contribution, however small, can I offer the world today?

I don't call it small, prayer works wonders and we are all part of the whole, no matter what country we live in.

[MajestyJo]

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

You are reading from the book Today's Gift

A tree grown in a cave does not bear fruit.

—Kahlil Gibran

A tree planted in a cave would soon be stopped short in its growth. There would be no room for it to grow tall or blossom. It would only grow so far and then would grow no bigger.

Fear can be like a cave. We sometimes become fearful for the same reason we might enter a cave, looking for protection. But fear protects us from the new ideas and behavior we need in order to grow. Fear can keep us huddling inside it, watching life's opportunities pass by. When fear threatens to enclose us, we can take a deep breath and begin to do what we are afraid of doing. The cave will fade away as we step out into the sun, fresh air, and storms that are a part of growing.

What fear can I overcome today?

Fear can keep us paralyzed and paranoid, and a whole lot more, when we allow it to isolate us from doing what we need to do to move forward. Recovery bring about a lot of decision making, and it is advised not to make any major ones in your first year of recovery.

That first year for me was spent building up faith in my God and faith in the program. The program allowed me to go any where and it helped me to decide whether I was going to trust it or go back to my old way of life. My past was riddled with fear, it was fear based, and there was no way I wanted to go back there.

Through my God, which I found in the program, I was able to trust and get to know me. As I have said many times, and I learned it my first year of recovery, and it is just as affective in today, 22 years later. This is a one day at a time program.

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/7688/affective-disorder

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/seasonal-affective-disorder/basics/definition/con-20021047

Not sure I don't have this myself. It was very enlightening.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/seasonal-affective-disorder/basics/symptoms/con-20021047

[MajestyJo]

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

You are reading from the book The Language of Letting Go

Honesty in Relationships

We can be honest and direct about our boundaries in relationships and about the parameters of a particular relationship.

Perhaps no area of our life reflects our uniqueness and individuality in recovery more than our relationships. Some of us are in a committed relationship. Some of us are dating. Some of us are not dating. Some of us are living with someone. Some of us wish we were dating. Some of us wish we were in a committed relationship. Some of us get into new relationships after recovery. Some of us stay in the relationship we were in before we began recovering.

We have other relationships too. We have friendships. Relationships with children, with parents, with extended family. We have professional relationships - relationships with people on the job.

We need to be able to be honest and direct in our relationships. One area we can be honest and direct about is the parameters of our relationships. We can define our relationships to people, an idea written about by Charlotte Kasl and others, and we can ask them to be honest and direct about defining their vision of the relationship with us.

It is confusing to be in relationships and not know where we stand - whether this is on the job, in a friendship, with family members, or in a love relationship. We have a right to be direct about how we define the relationship - what we want it to be. But relationships equal two people who have equal rights. The other person needs to be able to define the relationship too. We have a right to know, and ask. So do they.

Honesty is the best policy.

We can set boundaries. If someone wants a more intense relationship than we do, we can be clear and honest about what we want, about our intended level of participation. We can tell the person what to reasonably expect from us, because that is what we want to give. How the person deals with that is his or her issue. Whether or not we tell the person is ours.

We can set boundaries and define friendships when those cause confusion.

We can even define relationships with children, if those relationships have gotten sticky and exceeded our parameters. We need to define love relationships and what that means to each person. We have a right to ask and receive clear answers. We have a right to make our own definitions and have our own expectations. So does the other person.

Honesty and directness is the only policy. Sometimes we don't know what we want in a relationship. Sometimes the other person doesn't know. But the sooner we can define a relationship, with the other person's help, the sooner we can decide on an appropriate course of conduct for ourselves.

The clearer we can become on defining relationships, the more we can take care of ourselves in that relationship. We have a right to our boundaries, wants, and needs. So does the other person. We cannot force someone to be in a relationship or to participate at a level we desire if he or she does not want to. All of us have a right not to be forced.

Information is a powerful tool, and having the information about what a particular relationship is - the boundaries and definitions of it - will empower us to take care of ourselves in it.

Relationships take a while to form, but at some point we can reasonably expect a clear definition of what that relationship is and what the boundaries of it are. If the definitions clash, we are free to make a new decision based on appropriate information about what we need to do to take care of ourselves.

Today, I will strive for clarity and directness in my relationships. If I now have some relationships that are murky and ill defined, and if I have given them adequate time to form, I will begin to take action to define that relationship. God, help me let go of my fears about defining and understanding the nature of my present relationships. Guide me into clarity - clear, healthy thinking. Help me know that what I want is okay. Help me know that if I can't get that from the other person, what I want is still okay, but not possible at the present time. Help me learn to not forego what I want and need, but empower me to make appropriate, healthy choices about where to get that.

There was no communication in my marriages unless it was to tell me to shut up, my opinion didn't matter or wasn't asked for.

You can't communicate and have a relationship if you are talking to a brick wall, so I just had to let go, and not take on his/her stuff. I had to learn to take my Q-Tip with me everywhere I went, I had to quit taking it personally.

[MajestyJo]

Thursday, August 21, 2014

You are reading from the book Today's Gift

Thunder is good, thunder is impressive; but it is the lightning that does the work.
—Mark Twain

Thunder demands our attention. From the ear-splitting boom overhead to the faint rumble in the distance, it is an impressive part of nature. Yet, it is the lightning that discharges electricity from one cloud to another, or to the earth.

We are sometimes like thunder. We may shout our intentions to family members, or quietly tell our dreams to friends. No matter how we say it, it is the ability to follow through that is most important. When we've completed what we've set out to do, we will feel a sense of satisfaction and energy. With this energy, and the knowledge we can finish what we set out to do, we will make our dreams come true.

What is left incomplete that I can finish today?

My first thought was my laundry. My second thought was my postings, and my third was to return phone calls, and after that, there are too many things about my own recovery that are too numerous to count, but my God and I work on them daily.

[MajestyJo]

Friday, August 22, 2014

You are reading from the book Today's Gift

... sparrow, your message is clear: it is not too late for my singing.
—Tess Gallagher

There was once a mother who loved to hang the laundry out on the clothesline in the backyard. Her baby crawled through the sheets and towels that almost touched the grass. The baby didn't talk yet, so nobody knew what she was thinking.

Ten years later, the baby, twelve years old, told her that her happiest memory of childhood was playing in her "playhouse" of laundry on the line. She remembered thinking that her mother hung the sheets out there just so she could play in the grass and wind and sun!

How wonderful to be living in a world where we can accidentally make people happy! This knowledge is a miraculous gift, and can give us reason to do every task well and with love, because it may be remembered for a lifetime by someone near to us.

What happy memory do I have of childhood?

Love it, use to watch my mother put out the clothes and then I grew and it was me who put out the laundry and me that took the fresh smelling clothes off the line.

Music was a big part of my life. My mom played the piano and my two younger sisters sat beside her on the piano bench and I looked over my Mom's shoulder and we sang until we lost our voices. We did this every night after dinner, all gospel songs, and it was made special when my dad was there and he joined in.

Although I grumbled about the sore knees and the sun but picking wild berries and weeding a big, big garden, I always liked the rewards of the harvest. Like wild strawberry pie, blueberry crisp, oorn on the cob, with sliced steak tomatoes and homemade bread. Yum!

With all that, my favourite is still the beaver pond, surrounded by birch trees, long green grass, and a field of colourful wild flowers. As they say, keep it simple, get back to basics.

We use to did pretend houses in the sand after the garden was harvested and in the winter, built snow houses and forts. Life seemed like it should be good, but there was also a lot of emotions and feelings of unhappiness and something was missing, even though I went to church 3 times on Sunday, prayer meeting and young people's when my dad would drive us, and thanks to my mom, she would host it at our place so people would come to us. She made batches of Chelsea buns and butterscotch rolls.

The fear was there at six and many things over the years covered it up and things were used to hide it and the insecurities and the unknown, not knowing what I did wrong because if it was wrong, it was all my fault.

[MajestyJo]

Saturday, August 23, 2014

You are reading from the book Today's Gift

Whenever you fall, pick something up.
—Oswald Avery

There was once a very active boy who fell and broke his leg. He could run again in the spring, the doctors said, but only if he stayed in bed for an entire month and kept his leg still. At first the boy fought the rule, but he found that the more he thought about things he couldn't do, the more tired and angry he felt.

His parents put in a phone by his bed and friends called every day. He'd never much liked talking on the phone, but he felt better when they called. He wrote letters and got replies, and was surprised at what fun it was. Usually, he didn't have time to write letters.

He learned to play chess and began to enjoy reading. His days were slower and quieter than he'd been used to, but he learned a month really isn't a very long time. When spring came, he was running again, a little more joyfully than before.

When we can learn to accept our troubles, we find, like the boy, that they are just packages in which new growth and discoveries are wrapped.

If something unexpected slows me down today, what joys might I find at the slower pace?

Today when I came out of the mall, and a great big black ant passed under my walker. When I saw it, I had the thought "Slow down, you are moving too fast." I was going to walk home but decided to go by bus. I took the first one that came along and walked home an extra two blocks. Just as I was turning into Hess Village the bus I normally took, passed me. I might have been better to wait, but sitting when I am sore isn't easy. I could have waited but I wouldn't have gotten the exercise.

One of the gifts I got on the bus I took was a beautiful baby with the biggest dark blue eyes I had seen. They were so open and seemed to be aware, but she didn't look at day over 3 months. When I got to Step 3, I found a new awareness and found that reality some times sucked. Things would come to light, and I could sit with the guilt or process it and set myself free. I just had to deal with it, I found it difficult to live without changing it and looking at things with a new perspective.

When I slow down, I don't miss the glories that are there for me, I can get caught up in busy, and forget to open my mind and encompass my God's Grace. Just for today, I will choose to say thank you.

[MajestyJo]

Sunday, August 24, 2014

You are reading from the book Today's Gift

To those of us who knew the pain
of valentines that never came,
and those whose names were never called
when choosing sides for basketball.
—Janis Ian

Each of us at some time has known the feeling of not belonging; the painful emptiness of feeling left out. We've stood on the sidelines longing to be invited into what we think is some sort of magical circle. If only they would ask us in, we think, we'd be transformed - we'd be somebody then.

But look around. The circle is composed of people just like us: insecure at times, frightened, unsure. They have felt anxiety and feared rejection just as we have.

The pain will pass, and if we use these times to get to know and understand ourselves a bit better, we'll be better able to understand others when they're feeling left out and lonely. And when it's our turn to choose a team or send a valentine, we'll remember.

Who can I remember today?

Well I got left out a few times, yet there were times I was chosen because I had a strong network and people wanted me because they wanted to use my network to solicite for their wants and needs.

So many times I felt used and I had to change my attitude about it all. If it was good for the whole, I would say yes. If it wasn`t, I wouldn`t let them or myself to be used.

I had confidence and yet I could be shy, and over the years, I made myself speak up and out. I did it in the Legion, would up and greet new people, worked on committees in the Legion and with Senior Citizens. That was while I was still using. With an ex-sponsor at two years sober, I had to learn that though they have many years in recovery, they had their own agenda and were human too.

I have always tried to invite people over to my place if they were going to be alone over a holiday. I always believed, if there is enough for one, there is enough for two. It is who I am, I was brought up that way.` Wasn`t so sure that was true when it came to alcohol and my addiction, what is mine is mine and what is yours is yours and mine.

I was also taught, if you were not invited, you were not meant to be there. It was probably a healthier thing to not be a part of even if you want to be there.

So many decisions to make, so often we were victims of our circumstances and products of our environment. I had to recognize the old tapes and make new ones. I don`t have to look outside of myself to find love.

[MajestyJo]

Monday, August 25, 2014

You are reading from the book Today's Gift

... self-love is an unequivocal acceptance of the validity of getting what one wants--of respecting one's needs.
—Marion Weinstein

Once there was a woman who loved her husband and children so much that she did everything for them and nothing for herself. She thought taking care of herself was selfish. She never considered taking a vacation when she needed it. She stayed to take care of her family no matter what it cost her personally. Then she realized how much she resented them because she wasn't taking care of herself. So she began to ask for what she needed. At first, her family didn't like it. Little by little they began to notice that when she was relaxed, their lives were more serene, too. It wasn't always easy for her to love herself enough to ask for what she needed, but she learned that when she said no to demands she couldn't meet, she felt calm and centered. Best of all, she no longer resented them for asking. When she said yes, she did what they asked with real pleasure.

Do I sometimes resent doing things I could have chosen not to do?

Something that I have been working on with my spiritual adviser. There is still a part of me that has problems with forgiving myself for my decisions and the choices made in the past, even those in recovery.

There are things that I felt that I should have known better, and some things that were in the 'Self' and although amends were made to God, I still carried this image of myself that I didn't like.

It may be called being human, but sometimes the EGO says, that is no excuse. :(

[MajestyJo]

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

You are reading from the book Today's Gift

... I cannot see
The love you offer.
—Emily Dickinson

How can we make love visible; how can we give it eyes? We can make love a present, wrap it carefully as if it were a beautiful thing. We can make love a favor nobody foresaw; we can fill a cup, prepare a meal, run an errand with our love. We can make love out of real words - in a letter, a note, a simple unrhymed poem. And we can make our love visible with our eyes by making our eyes meet those of the people we love.

When we turn a feeling like love into an act, we share it with those around us, and they are encouraged to return the favor, and in this way, the world's storehouse of love increases.

How can I show the love I feel today?

Pay it forward with a smile, taking time to speak to someone, don't forget to say "I love you." I like the saying, "If no one has told you today that they loved you, consider yourself loved, I will love you until you can love yourself." Remember to apply it to yourself.

[MajestyJo]

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

You are reading from the book Today's Gift

If you have butterflies in your stomach ask them into your heart.
—Cooper Edens

We've all had butterflies in our stomachs. It happens on the first day of school or the first day on a new job. It happens most anytime we try something new or risky. These butterflies are nervous and fluttery and sometimes we wish we could just go back to bed.

But the best thing we can do, and sometimes the only thing, is go right ahead and walk into that new situation with head held high. We will probably feel awkward at first, but that is natural and it will pass.

Our nervousness can change into excitement and joy for what we are doing. We can begin to feel proud when we walk through our fear. It is a true accomplishment when we don't let our fear stop us - when, instead, we let the butterfly in our hearts unfold.

When I have the butterflies today, will I enjoy their beauty?

My butterflies were not about beauty or nerves, I was very sick at my stomach.

Don't think I thought of them, but did think of asking for healing, and I got an appointment at the Holistic Center for 2:15 p.m.

Butterfly means transformation, so hoping Tony can transform sick to feeling better.

[MajestyJo]

Thursday, August 28, 2014

You are reading from the book Today's Gift

The route you take depends a good deal upon where you want to go.
—Lewis Carroll

Day after day, the father drove to work along the same dreary highway to the same dreary job. Sometimes his daughter went to his office with him. On one of these occasions she noticed a winding road running parallel to the highway. "Oh, Daddy, let's take that road today," she suggested. After some grumbling and mumbling, the father agreed and turned off to take the side road.

To their delight, the road was lined with full trees and a rainbow of flowers. They came upon a quaint little village in which there was an office with a sign in the window, which said, "Clerk Wanted. Inquire Within." The job seemed perfect and the man accepted it with excitement he hadn't felt in many years.

Sometimes we have to risk taking a different path in order to arrive at a different place. How else can we change things in our lives that need to be changed? And how easy to do it, once we're willing to risk something out of the ordinary.

What can I do that's out of the ordinary today?

My sponsor use to say, examine your motive and intent. It wouldn't be hard for me to be out of the ordinary, especially today, all I need to do is feel good and go out and about. It is out of the ordinary, because I think I have the flu instead of arthritic pain!
:38:

[MajestyJo]

Friday, August 29, 2014

You are reading from the book Today's Gift

When you meet a man, you judge him by his clothes; when you leave, you judge him by his heart.
—Russian Proverb

The woman on the park bench was gnarled and dirty. Her hair was an uncombed mess, her clothes torn and old. She clutched a paper bag to her side, which seemed to contain her belongings. She sat in the sun, humming to herself. Occasionally she threw a bit of popcorn to ducks who waited at her feet. A little boy and his mother sat by the lake, not wanting to share the bench with this wild-eyed old woman. But when the old woman beckoned to the little boy to share her popcorn with him, he ran to the bench and let out squeals of laughter as they fed the hungry ducks.

Our world is full of variety and surprises. Would we have it any other way? When we shun someone because of the way they look, we cut ourselves off from part of life. But when we are ready for anything - accepting and trusting - we are a wonder to everyone.

How shall I judge people today?

When I meet a man especially, I look at their eyes, always have. It doesn't matter what they are wearing or what the words that come out of their mouth, they can be false. I always felt like the eyes are a window to the soul.

[MajestyJo]

Saturday, August 30, 2014

You are reading from the book Today's Gift

If I cry tears let them wash away your fears - make a rainbow of love for you.
—Thom Klika

It takes both sun and rain to make a rainbow in the sky. The rainbow is a rare and beautiful thing - each color brilliant beside the other. Rain falls to earth like the tears we all shed sometimes. Sunlight shines like the happiness we find inside when we feel peaceful.

The colors of the rainbow are like all the different feelings we have. Let's say red is anger and green is fear and orange is joy and violet is contentment. All these feelings create a whole person, in the same way that all these colors make the whole rainbow. We become more colorful people as we learn to express all our emotions.

A person who is learning to share feelings radiates the same kind of beauty as a rainbow in the sky.

Who can I share a feeling with today?

How true, tears are healing. Unfortunately, I still don't do them as well as I should. My first husband told me I used them as a weapon and to stop them and I did at 21. I didn't find recovery until I was 49, and it was really 7 years later that I felt that I found my true self and got in touch with who I am and no longer had to live with who I was. When I saw myself heading there or back there, I had the tools not to stay there. It was not a place I wanted to be. The person I share my feeling with in today is me instead of stuffing them.

[MajestyJo]

Sunday, August 31, 2014

You are reading from the book Today's Gift

I'm a trader at heart. . . except that I don't like trades that come out equally--that's too much like borrowing. I'd rather trade a strong hand for a patient ear or a story for a meal: anything that keeps things turning over.
—Gordon Bok

There is an old saying that there are just two kinds of people in the world: givers and takers. Those of us who are givers delight in it. We have a buck to lend when someone is broke, a kind word when they're down, a helping hand when they need it. But sometimes we givers are uncomfortable when we're on the receiving end. We brush off thanks and gifts and help, even when they're needed or deserved.

Those of us who are takers, on the other hand, know how to receive graciously what others have to give; we know how to ask for what we need. Often, however, we don't know how to give. We may be afraid our gifts will be wrong or rejected or laughed at.

We can all strive to become traders, people who have learned how to both give and receive. We each have the capacity to give what we have freely and to ask, gratefully, for what we don't have. That is the greatest gift of all.

What can I give and take today?

So much of life is energy, and exchange of energy between one person and another. It is up to us whether we accept or reject it. Life isn't about the almighty dollar, and doesn't have to be hands on, a prayer and a healing thought goes a long way.