Been A While…

Hahaha!! More that a little while!! Question is, do I really want to start writing on my blog again? Or am I just feeling slightly inspired because my sisters are now both writing blogs, and their writing is AMAZING!! Well, I don’t really know if I have an answer to that and the BIG question would be THEME!!! Time to think on it…

Quote from Dr. Theodore Isaac Rubin, MD from the OA Brown Book Forward

 “I must learn to love the fool in me–the one
who feels too much, talks too much, takes too many chances, wins sometimes
and  loses often, lacks self-control, loves and hates, hurts and gets hurt,
promises  and breaks promises, laughs and cries. It alone protects me against
that utterly  self-controlled, masterful tyrant whom I also harbor and who
would rob me of  human aliveness, humility, and dignity but for my  fool.”

Today’s thought from Hazelden is:

Accepting Change

The winds of change blow through our life, sometimes gently, sometimes like a tropical storm. Yes, we have resting places – time to adjust to another level of living, time to get our balance, time to enjoy the rewards. We have time to catch our breath.

But change is inevitable, and desirable.

Sometimes, when the winds of change begin to rustle, we’re not certain the change is for the better. We may call it stress or a temporary condition, certain we’ll be restored to normal. Sometimes, we resist. We tuck our head down and buck the wind, hoping that things will quickly calm down, get back to the way things were. Is it possible we’re being prepared for a new “normal”?

Change will sweep through our life, as needed, to take us where we’re going. We can trust that our Higher Power has a plan in mind, even when we don’t know where the changes are leading.

We can trust that the change-taking place is good. The wind will take us where we need to go.

Today, help me, God, to let go of my resistance to change. Help me be open to the process. Help me believe that the place I’ll be dropped off will be better than the place where I was picked up. Help me surrender, trust, and accept, even if I don’t understand.

You are reading from the book:

The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie

Today’s thought from Hazelden is:

Procrastination is the thief of time.–Edward Young

When we have a problem with putting things off, we seem to add to our troubles by mentally flogging ourselves. We know we are losing time. We criticize ourselves for our irrational behavior. Whether we are putting off an important task in our lives or letting many little undone jobs accumulate, we could benefit from stopping the self criticism and asking ourselves for the spiritual message in our actions. Perhaps we need some quiet time to do absolutely nothing. Maybe our perfectionism is paralyzing us. Is an “all or nothing” attitude telling us if we can’t do the whole job right away, there is no point in beginning? Unexpressed anger may be blocking us from doing what we need to do.

Whenever we find ourselves doing things that seem irrational we can ask, “What is the message from my Higher Power in this behavior?” This question will carry us much further toward spiritual growth than the mental criticism we are tempted to do.

Today, I will do what I can within the limits of one day, and I will stay in communication with my Higher Power.

You are reading from the book:

Touchstones by Anonymous

Today’s Quote

“There is no failure except in no longer trying. There is no defeat except from within, no really insurmountable barrier save our own inherent weakness of purpose.”

Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915);

philosopher, author, publisher

Today’s thought from Hazelden is:

Reflection for the Day

Even with a growing understanding of The Program and its Twelve Steps, we sometimes might find it difficult to believe that our new way of life leads to personal freedom. Suppose, for example, I feel imprisoned in an uncomfortable job or troublesome personal relationship. What am I doing about it? In the past, my reflex reaction was to try to manipulate the things and people around me into being more acceptable to me. Today, I realize that happiness can’t be won that way.

Am I learning that freedom from despair and frustration can come only from changing, in myself, the attitudes that are perpetuating the conditions that cause me grief?

Today I Pray

May I be given clear eyes to see and then to stop myself when I am manipulating the lives of those around me, my daily associates, friends, and family. May I always be aware that change must begin within myself.

Today I will remember

Change from the inside out.

You are reading from the book:

A Day at a Time (Softcover) by Anonymous

Great Quote!!

“To put the world right in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must first put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must first cultivate our personal life; we must first set our hearts right.”

Confucius (551-479); philosopher

Today’s thought from Hazelden is:

“Remember the old Chinese handcuffs thing,” a friend reminds me when I get stuck doing the same thing over and over, even though whatever I’m doing doesn’t work.

A Chinese handcuff is a toy, a small bamboo tube, about four inches long. You stick an index finger in each end. Then when you pull, you’re trapped. The harder you pull, the more stuck you get. Your instinctive reaction, not the handcuffs, keeps you trapped. To set yourself free you have to take certain steps. Letting go isn’t enough. You have to relax, then gently push in before you can pull yourself loose.

Sometimes taking action means relaxing and doing the opposite of what our instincts tell us to do. If we have tried to do something a hundred times, and the way we’re doing it hasn’t worked, it probably still won’t the next time. It may be time to try something else.

You are reading from the book:

52 Weeks of Conscious Contact by Melody Beattie

“Joy and hope are never separate. I have never met a hopeful person who was depressed or a joyful person who had lost hope…It is important to become aware that at every moment of our life we have the opportunity to choose joy. It is in the choice that our true freedom lies, and that freedom is, in the final analysis, the freedom to love.”

Henri Nouwen (1932-1996); Catholic priest, author

Faith dares the soul to go beyond what the eyes can see.