Mixed Baggage III

[MajestyJo]

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Remember...


1. Your presence is a present to the world.

2. You're unique and one of a kind

3. Your life can be what you want it to be.

4. Take the days just one at a time.

5. Count your blessings, not your troubles.

6. You'll make it through whatever comes along.

7. Within you are so many answers.

8. Understand, have courage, be strong.

9. Don't put limits on yourself.

10. So many dreams are waiting to be realized.

11. Decisions are too important to leave to chance.

12. Reach for your peak, your goal, and your prize.

13. Nothing wastes more energy than worrying.

14. The longer one carries a problem, the heavier it gets.

15. Don't take things too seriously.

16. Live a life of serenity, not a life of regrets.

17. Remember that a little love goes a long way.

18. Remember that a lot goes forever.

19. Remember that friendship is a wise investment.

20. Life's treasures are people -- together.

21. Realize that nothing is ever too late.

22. Do ordinary things in an extraordinary way.

23. Have health and hope and happiness.

24. Take the time to wish upon a star.

... And don't ever forget --
for even a day --
how very special you are.

[MajestyJo]

Some people are so successful in AA they turn out almost as good as they used to think they were when they were drinking.

- Pocket Sponsor

Don't know about anyone else, but I find this to be totally hillarious. I not only see myself in this but a few alcoholic that I have met along the way, sober or otherwise.

If we all were as half as good as we thought we were, we would find we re pretty good, okay type people.

Just because I carry the label "alcoholic" doesn't mean I can't change and get out of the "Self" and become a better type person. It is good to be able to laugh at myself, look back at some of that grandiosity and recognize it for what it is and was.

EGO - Easy God Out!

For the most part, I got myself into trouble all by myself. What makes me think that I can get out of it on my own. My best thinking got me there.

In today, it is about giving God the glory, and recognizing it is His will and through His Grace, that I am clean and sober today.

I am reminded of the country song, "Ten feet tall and bullet proof." A lot of false courage and bravado with a few drinks under our belt and yet our whole life riddled with fear.

The program has allowed me to turn that fear into a new direction. Not only learning to have faith in my God but in myself.

As I have stated before, I always thought it was a man thing until I was able to get honest enough to see it within myself. When I did, it was another one of those things that I had to take to my God.

[MajestyJo]

http://images.eaglewolf88.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/SaqVVgoKCEMAAEWsC8o1/0014.gif?et=4Oc90Jy9vzLLe%2BrYsCWyVw&nmid=0Daily forgiveness

"As long as you don't forgive, who and whatever it is will occupy rent-free space in your mind."

-- Isabelle Holland

We cannot avoid daily resentment and thoughts of guilt. They are a part of human nature. What we can do is release their grip on us. We can forgive others and ourselves daily.

Forgiveness requires nothing in return. There are no conditions. It gets rid of old baggage and clears up unfinished business. It leads us to a life of authenticity, lightness and directness. Forgiveness is the highest form of letting go of resentment and ego.

True forgiveness is more than an apology, understanding and acceptance. There is an element of recreating and re-imagining. There is a need to envision ourselves as more loving, interdependent, courageous and compassionate. Forgiveness requires honouring the sacred journey of learning about life - our life and others'.

"Whatever we have done, we can always make amends for it without ever looking back in guilt or sorrow."

-- Eknath Easwaran

From Higher Awareness - used with permission

[MajestyJo]

Perfectionism

“We have the need to be accepted and to be loved by others, but we cannot accept and love ourselves. The more self-love we have, the less we will experience self-abuse. Self-abuse comes from self-rejection, and self-rejection comes from having an image of what it means to be perfect and never measuring up to that ideal. Our image of perfection is the reason we reject ourselves the way we are, and why we don't accept others the way they are.”

-- Don Miguel Ruiz

“The maxim ‘Nothing but perfection’ may be spelled ‘Paralysis.’”

-- Winston Churchill

“After enough mirror gazing, we all develop our ‘cosmic sense of humor.’ We no longer try to be perfect, or try to get all our work done in time. We become content with whatever life brings. Just to deal with what comes up without crucifying ourselves or others is enough of a challenge.”

-- Paul Ferrini

“Good enough never is.”

-- Debbi Fields

Our process is clear. First 'know yourself' - your personality and direction in life. Then 'create a plan'. Next 'heal yourself and what holds you back. Then you can expand and 'grow yourself'. Are you ready to commit to changing your life for the better?

- Higher Awareness (used with permission)

[MajestyJo]

Just realized I had two Mixed Baggage II posts, so changing this to a III seeing it is only a page long. Sorry for the senior moment!

[MajestyJo]

Wisdom

"...we need to abandon the idea that wisdom is knowing everything—the whys, the wherefores, the how-tos. Wisdom is often more subtle, both far simpler and exceedingly more complex. For wisdom requires the discerning, the listening to, the acknowledgement of nudges and notions, of senses and sensations, of the minute and what we often mistakenly assume is the mundane. Wisdom means listening to the still, small voice, the whisper that can be easily lost in the whirlwind of busyness, expectations, and conventions of the world....”

-- Jean M. Blomquist

“Nine-tenths of wisdom is appreciation. Go find somebody’s hand and squeeze it, while there’s time.”

-- Dale Dauten

“To finish the moment, to find the journey’s end in every step of the road, to live the greatest number of good hours, is wisdom.”

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Access your own inner wisdom by tapping into your subconscious and intuition. Release stress, blocks and negative emotions, and spark imagination and greater vision.

From Higher Awareness - used with permission

[MajestyJo]

Picked up a copy of Melody Beattie's new book The New Codependency - help and guidance for Today's Generation.

Will share more after I read it. It asks the same old question, "What is and what is not codependency?"

The subdivisions look interesting:

~Crossing Lines and Getting Back over Them Again

~Breaking Free from the Control Trap and Getting Some Grace

~Making a Conscious Connection with Yourself

~Catch and Release: It's Only a Feeling

Never got it read, had to take it back to the library. Forgot about the book and ran across this on one of my sites.

I have gone to Al-Anon since Decemeber 1991. I didn't go all the time until I read the Preface to her book Codependent No More and ran to the closest meeting.

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[MajestyJo]

Some food for thought!

[MajestyJo]

How do you work with anger?

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"Character isn’t inherited. One builds it daily by the way one thinks and acts, thought by thought, action by action. If one lets fear or hate or anger take possession of the mind, they become self-forged chains."

-- Helen Douglas

How do you feel about anger, in yourself and in others? How do you deal with it?

Anger is powerful energy. If we are afraid of this energy, we may attempt to deny or hide it. And when we lack control of the energy of anger, we impose it on other people or things.

The ways we react to anger usually reflect how we experienced anger as children and how our own anger when we were young was handled by the adults at the time.

In reality, anger, like any emotion, brings us information. It tells us how we feel about what is being experienced. If we receive anger’s message and learn more about ourselves, the energy will pass.

"Too often we underestimate how quickly our feelings are going to change because we underestimate our ability to change them."

-- David Gilbert

[MajestyJo]

Ousting the Green Demon

Victory over Jealousy. We hear of successful people who drop their old friends after moving up the ladder. Maybe, however, it wasn't their choice, Maybe they were driven to do so because their friends' jealousy made the friendship unworkable. We have little trouble accepting a stranger's good fortune; it's a different feeling, however, when friends and co-workers move ahead of us.

If the green demon of jealousy strikes during the day, we can come to terms with it in several ways. First, accept no guilt that it happens, because jealousy is part of the human condition. Next, depersonalize it by remembering that good fortune comes to all people in various ways. Then check your own gratitude level to make sure that it hasn't been sinking. This serves as a reminder that there's no shortage of the things that really make for happiness and personal well being in life.

We can easily tell when we've been able to oust the green demon. We'll be able to be relaxed and gracious while extending congratulations for another person's good fortune. And months down the road, we'll be genuinely sympathetic - not vindictive - If the other person's luck turns sour.

While I don't expect to feel jealousy today, I accept the fact that it can happen. Should it appear, I'll work calmly to deal with it.

You are reading from the book:


Walk in Dry Places by Mel B.

Jealousy is something that seldom bothered me. I was often on the receiving end and could never understand why. I certainly didn't have the green stuff in my pocket and a lot of stuff in my apartment. Had to be my charm and good looks! :218:

[MajestyJo]

A is for Acceptance. I have had so much trouble finding acceptance of my long bout of ill health. I am finally finding some hope, although it isn't moviing very rapidly at the moment, my body does seem to be healing.

For me, acceptance isn't an action thing. It is a state of being. Surrender comes before it. The action is setting things into motion for change. In order to change I have to be aware, admit, accept, take action to change my attitude or change my attitude so I can take action.

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B is for Blessing. The blessing I receive as a result of working my program, which allows me to live in today, and be grateful for the people, places and things, that my Creator has put in my path.

B is also for Boat...]

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C is for Clarity. This is a disease of perception. It is important that I have clarity of thought and find my own truth with clear vision. The frog stands for cleansing. I need to cleanse the body, mind and spriit.

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[MajestyJo]

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"Your faith and outlook on life will have you see a glass half full or half empty. When you're in a tunnel --- your faith and outlook on life will either focus on the darkness or focus on the light at the end of the tunnel.

You may feel like you're in a tunnel of darkness because of your finances, job, business slump, relationships, health or grief.

You may not see right now how you?re going to get through this tunnel of despair. Trust God. Life is good in spite of your circumstances. Start giving thanks in advance for the blessings you have now and for those yet to come. A new day is coming for you. A new season is coming. New opportunities are
coming to you.

Be encouraged and endure the tunnel experience knowing this, too, shall pass. Stay on track believing you will be carried and that there is a light at the end of this tunnel."

~ Jewel Diamond Taylor

"When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don't throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer."

~ Corrie Ten Boom (author and Holocaust concentration camp survivor)

Not sure the origin, looks like it came from Higher Awareness.

[MajestyJo]

Choose littleness and you will not have peace, for you will have judged yourself unworthy of it.
]
- A Course In Miracles

In our daily decisions, we have a choice between littleness and love. Love is something we receive from God and can share with others. Littleness is a mind-set that limits our receiving God's love and therefore inhibits our sharing it.

If our focus is money, possessions, power, to be the envy of others, physical comfort, or beauty, we choose littleness. When we choose these ex-ternal things, we judge ourselves as having little value. If we care about ourselves and the welfare of others, we chose love, and with it, peace.

Every time we choose one way or the other, we are evaluating ourselves.
When we choose littleness, we are denying ourselves a relationship with God. When we chose love, we are accepting our place in God's heart.

Today I think enough of myself to choose love.

In God's Care by Karen Casey and Homer Pyle

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[MajestyJo]

IN RELATIONSHIP WITH OUR THOUGHTS

Samuel Thadeus Short

“First … when you learn to live for others, they will live for you.”

— PARAMAHANSA YOGANANDA

Everything we do involves a form of a relationship, some kind of interaction with something or someone. Naturally we can recognize relationships with others, which may be personal, casual, business-like or those that we like to call spiritually based. However, when we are alone, we are still not in perhaps the most intimate of all relationships? We may be in relationship with our thoughts. It is important to remember that there is an I that thinks, and then there are the results of the thinking "I” our own thoughts. Our minds are always creating the elements of relationship each time we think, and we cannot not think. We need to ask ourselves; are out thoughts essentially life affirming? Do we respond first with thought, then with acts to what happens external to ourselves and others? We are the only ones that can control our inner relationships, and we can have help with this by turning to God for regular healing strokes.
The Antesian Road To Enlightenment

antesianroadtoenlightenment-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

This affirms my need to develop a relationship with myself. How can I relate to others if I have no knowingness of my own wants and needs. Before I didn't think they were important, but in today I do. When I go to my God and ask for healing and direction, it is there. Through Him, I can get to know my Higher Self and express my inner truth with others. It is only then that I can walk in the Fellowship of the Spirit and walk my talk in self-honesty.

[MajestyJo]

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March 28 - Daily Feast

Worry about how much we can remember can throw the mind into such stress that it cannot function right. The harder we try, the less we are going to recall. As living progresses there is more to remember, and very little of it worthy fact. The incessant chatter that goes on around us is not important and when it comes to the children's ages - let them remember. If there is something we really want to retain, then we should write it down. A notebook has saved many a day and acts as a companion to someone who doesn't want to remember everything.

~ We love the Great Spirit - we acknowledge his supreme power - our peace, our health, and our happiness depend upon him. ~

PETALESHARO - PAWNEE, 1822

"A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II" by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

[MajestyJo]

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March 16 - Daily Feast

So much is taken for granted that it is a wonder we every enjoy anything in its present state. While we are off chasing causes and things that look good, our nearest and dearest have no attention. Few things necessary to us come through loud and clear. They become so much a part of us that we forget they exist - like the leg that supports us and the hand that feeds us. It is inane to gamble with such priceless assets. We should not wait any longer to speak and act with our hearts.

~ We must let you know we love our children too well to send them such a great way. Our customs are different from yours and you will be so good as to excuse us. ~

CANANSSATEGO

"A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II" by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

[MajestyJo]

Review your choices

"I was part of that strange race of people aptly described as spending their lives doing things they detest to make money they don't want to buy things they don't need to impress people they dislike."

-- Emile Henry Gauvreau

Once again, we invite you to look closely at what you are choosing for yourself.

Why are you doing what you are doing? Would you prefer to be or do something different? How can you bring that ‘something different’ into reality?

"You make what seems a simple choice: choose a man or a job or a neighborhood -- and what you have chosen is not a man or a job or a neighborhood, but a life."

-- Jessamyn West

(C) Reproductions Permitted: http://www.higherawareness.com

So many years I looked for approval and acceptance of myself by people pleasing and wanting people to LIKE me. I did not know that this stemmed from a disquiet within myself. The inability to be alone with myself. The lack of acceptance of myself, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically.

As a result, I made choices for other people, not for my own Higher Good.

[MajestyJo]

Review your choices

"I was part of that strange race of people aptly described as spending their lives doing things they detest to make money they don't want to buy things they don't need to impress people they dislike."

-- Emile Henry Gauvreau

Once again, we invite you to look closely at what you are choosing for yourself.

Why are you doing what you are doing? Would you prefer to be or do something different? How can you bring that ‘something different’ into reality?

"You make what seems a simple choice: choose a man or a job or a neighborhood -- and what you have chosen is not a man or a job or a neighborhood, but a life."

-- Jessamyn West

- Higher Awareness

So many years I looked for approval and acceptance of myself by people pleasing and wanting people to LIKE me. I did not know that this stemmed from a disquiet within myself. The inability to be alone with myself. The lack of acceptance of myself, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically.

As a result, I made choices for other people, not for my own Higher Good.:15:

[MajestyJo]

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"The Man Who Thinks He Can"

If you think you are beaten, you are;
If you think you dare not, you don't;
If you'd like to win, but think you can't;
It's almost a cinch you won't.
If you think you'll lose, you're lost,
For out in the world we find
Success begins with a fellow's will;
It's all in the state of mind.

If you think you're outclassed, you are;
You've got to think high to rise.
You've got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.
Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man;
But soon or late the man who wins
Is the man who thinks he can.

--Walter D. Wintle

[MajestyJo]

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[MajestyJo]

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This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine
Let it shine,
Let it shine,
Let it shine.

Hide it under a bushel? No!
I'm gonna let it shine
Hide it under a bushel? No!
I'm gonna let it shine
Hide it under a bushel? No!
I'm gonna let it shine
Let it shine,
Let it shine,
Let it shine.

This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine
Let it shine,
Let it shine,
Let it shine.

Don't let Satan blow it out,
I'm gonna let it shine
Don't let Satan blow it out,
I'm gonna let it shine
Don't let Satan blow it out,
I'm gonna let it shine
Let it shine,
Let it shine,
Let it shine.

This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine
Let it shine,
Let it shine,
Let it shine.

Shine all over
[name of town]


I'm gonna let it shine
Shine all over
[name of town]


I'm gonna let it shine
Shine all over
[name of town]

I'm gonna let it shine
Let it shine,
Let it shine,
Let it shine.

This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine
Let it shine,
Let it shine,
Let it shine.

Let it shine til Jesus comes,
I'm gonna let it shine
Let it shine til Jesus comes,
I'm gonna let it shine
Let it shine til Jesus comes,
I'm gonna let it shine
Let it shine,
Let it shine,
Let it shine.

This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine
Let it shine,
Let it shine,
Let it shine.

[MajestyJo]

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Do you want to be really happy? You can begin by being appreciative of who you are and what youve' got. Do you want to be really miserable? You can begin by being discontented. As Laeeo~tse wrote: 'A tree as big around as you can reach starts with a small seed; a thousand-mile journey starts with one step.' Wisdom, Happiness and Courage are not waiting somewhere out beyond sight at the end of a straight line; they're part of a continuous cycle that begins right here.

More wisdom rom Benjamin Hoff's odd book, The Tao of Pooh.

Taken from The Yearbook of Love and Wisdom by Celia Haddon

[MajestyJo]

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May you see God everywhere you look today!

[MajestyJo]

I will realize my own worth when I accept...
myself exactly as I am.

Self-Value means I know who I am!
Self-Esteem means I am who I say I am!
Self-Worth means I believe I am who I say I am!

Until today, you may not have been aware of how
your knowledge of your own value affects your
self-esteem or how your self-esteem affects your
sense of self-worth.

Just for today, make sure that what you know about
yourself is reflected in what you say about yourself,
because what you say about yourself influences what
you believe about yourself.

Today I am devoted to knowing, saying and believing
the very best about myself!!

~ Iyanla Vanzant

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For many years, I didn't know I was worthwhile and that I deserved a better way of life. I needed to learn to take care of myself, it was a foreign concept to me. Old tapes told me I was not worthy.

[MajestyJo]

Cleaning House in 2011

Last Week I threw out worrying , it was getting old and in the way.

It kept me from being me; I couldn't do things God's way.

I threw out a book on MY PAST
(Didn't have time to read it anyway)..

Replaced it with NEW GOALS , started reading it today.

I threw out hate and bad memories ,
(Remember how I treasured them so)?

Got me a NEW PHILOSOPHY too, threw out the one from long ago.

Brought in some new books too, called I CAN, I WILL , and I MUST .

Threw out I might, I think and I ought .
WOW , you should've seen the dust.

I ran across an OLD FRIEND , I hadn't talked to in a while.

His name is GOD the Father , and I really like His style.

He helped me to do some cleaning and added some things Himself.

Like PRAYER, HOPE, FAITH and LOVE ,
Yes... I placed them right on the shelf.

I picked up this special thing and placed it at the front door.

I FOUND IT - it's called PEACE . Nothing gets me down anymore.

Yes, I've got my house looking nice.

Looks good around the place.

For things like Worry and Trouble there just isn't any space.

It's good to do a little house cleaning,
Get rid of the things on the shelf.

It sure makes things brighter; maybe you should TRY IT YOURSELF.
BE BLESSED AND BE A BLESSING TO SOMEONE ELSE!!!!
May the Lord open the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing that
you will not have room enough to receive it all.May the Lord bless you exceedingly abundantly above all you could ever hope for.

Take 60 seconds & Bless someone!
Keep the Faith!!!

....May Love and Light Surround You For All of Your Days....

Received with thanks from my friend Susie

[MajestyJo]

Cleaning House in 2011

Last Week I threw out worrying , it was getting old and in the way.

It kept me from being me; I couldn't do things God's way.

I threw out a book on MY PAST
(Didn't have time to read it anyway)..

Replaced it with NEW GOALS , started reading it today.

I threw out hate and bad memories ,
(Remember how I treasured them so)?

Got me a NEW PHILOSOPHY too, threw out the one from long ago.

Brought in some new books too, called I CAN, I WILL , and I MUST .

Threw out I might, I think and I ought .
WOW , you should've seen the dust.

I ran across an OLD FRIEND , I hadn't talked to in a while.

His name is GOD the Father , and I really like His style.

He helped me to do some cleaning and added some things Himself.

Like PRAYER, HOPE, FAITH and LOVE ,
Yes... I placed them right on the shelf.

I picked up this special thing and placed it at the front door.

I FOUND IT - it's called PEACE . Nothing gets me down anymore.

Yes, I've got my house looking nice.

Looks good around the place.

For things like Worry and Trouble there just isn't any space.

It's good to do a little house cleaning,
Get rid of the things on the shelf.

It sure makes things brighter; maybe you should TRY IT YOURSELF.
BE BLESSED AND BE A BLESSING TO SOMEONE ELSE!!!!
May the Lord open the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing that
you will not have room enough to receive it all.May the Lord bless you exceedingly abundantly above all you could ever hope for.

Take 60 seconds & Bless someone!
Keep the Faith!!!

....May Love and Light Surround You For All of Your Days....

Received with thanks from my friend Susie

[MajestyJo]

I never know how much of what I say is true.

- Bette Midler

We often speak with great conviction while harbouring the thought that we don't really know what we're talking about. When it comes right down to it, on life-and-death matters, we get most of our ideas from somebody we respect, or from reason or a strong hunch tells us. tere is no ultimate authority on this earth. We have to go on evidence, gut feeling, and intuition.

Evidence is what we see with our own eyes, such as the dramatic personality changes that come over people when they follow our spiritual program. Gut feelings are just that; we know when something we read or hear feels right to us. And intuition is sometimes having insight about something or someone that goes beyond our current knowledge.

Although we don't always know if the evidence before us, our gut feelings, or our intuition is always accurate, we can trust our Higher Power to show us the truth through them.

I will ask God to help me when I'm doubting myself or feel confused.

- In God's Care by Karen Casey

My sponsor use to say, if you are doubting yourself, you are doubting your God. When I turn my day over to my Higher Power, it is my truth, in the moment, and yet, like everything else in this life it is subject to change.

[MajestyJo]

I never know how much of what I say is true.

- Bette Midler

We often speak with great conviction while harbouring the thought that we don't really know what we're talking about. When it comes right down to it, on life-and-death matters, we get most of our ideas from somebody we respect, or from reason or a strong hunch tells us. tere is no ultimate authority on this earth. We have to go on evidence, gut feeling, and intuition.

Evidence is what we see with our own eyes, such as the dramatic personality changes that come over people when they follow our spiritual program. Gut feelings are just that; we know when something we read or hear feels right to us. And intuition is sometimes having insight about something or someone that goes beyond our current knowledge.

Although we don't always know if the evidence before us, our gut feelings, or our intuition is always accurate, we can trust our Higher Power to show us the truth through them.

I will ask God to help me when I'm doubting myself or feel confused.

- In God's Care by Karen Casey

My sponsor use to say, if you are doubting yourself, you are doubting your God. When I turn my day over to my Higher Power, it is my truth, in the moment, and yet, like everything else in this life it is subject to change.

[MajestyJo]

Love the reading from Touchstone. They are for men but I think we tend to forget that we have a masculine and a feminine side. Our masculine side is our survivor side.

You are reading from the book Touchstones

If only I could throw away the urge to trace my patterns in your heart I could really see you.

—David Brandon

Trying to control and change the people around us creates great problems in our relationships. When people we love are expressing themselves, we're thinking about what we wish they would say, and it blocks us from hearing clearly. A need for safety and for a guarantee that we won't be abandoned urges us to manipulate the people we love. We know we have innocent motives. We say we only want what is best and that we are only trying to protect ourselves or be helpful. But we hide from the effects our actions have on our relationships.

We seem to be more trapped in these self-centered behaviors with the ones we are closest to. We can change ourselves by slowly releasing our security grip on others. We can focus more on understanding what others are saying to us than on changing how they think and feel. Intimacy is clearly seeing each other and knowing the differences as well as the similarities. It requires that both people be allowed to walk on separate paths.

I will release my grip on my loved ones and turn to my Higher Power for security and serenity.

I have often had a debate with someone about the word control. She keeps saying she is in control. She can control herself. I look at the word 'control' as part of my addiction. I thought I was in control and it was an illusion. Control for me can only come through my Higher Power. When I try to control I am back acting in the Self and not turning things over to my Higher Power.

When I surrender control, anger, fear, etc. over to my Higher Power, I am enabled to do what I need to do for myself. Of myself, I am nothing, He does the work.

A good example is my food addiction. I could never eat just a few potato chips and half a chocolate bar. I turned my eating disorder to my God and now I can have a half a bag of small potato chips. I have a 1/2 of a chocolate bar sitting here by my keyboard. This is quite an accomplishment for someone who use to think, some is good, more is better. It is only through my God's grace that I can do this.

[MajestyJo]

~!~!~!~!~

An old-timer spoke about the danger of becoming
complacent and explained the need for the Steps
in her life. "The way I see it," she said,
"I might have gotten the monkey off my back,
but the circus is still in town."

~!~!~!~!~

A drunk had applied for a driver's license in a new state.
One of the test questions read,
"Have you ever been arrested for drunk driving?"
He replied in the negative. Just below that,
there was another question: "Why?"
He puzzled over it for a moment and then wrote,
"Never been caught."

~!~!~!~!~

This reminded me of the time that I was followed for ten miles from my usual watering hole by a police cruiser and never got pulled over. If they had tested me, they would have locked me up and thrown away the key. The sad thing was I thought it was a joke. When I looked at the reality, I could have killed, my passenger and/or another person. Not so funny when you look at it that way.

[MajestyJo]

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You are reading from the book The Language of Letting Go

Holding Your Own

Trust yourself. Trust what you know.

Sometimes, it is hard to stand in our own truth and trust what we know, especially when others would try to convince us otherwise.

In these cases, others may be dealing with issues of guilt and shame. They may have their own agenda. They may be immersed in denial. They would like us to believe that we do not know what we know; they would like us not to trust ourselves; they would prefer to engage us in their nonsense.

We don't have to forfeit our truth or our power to others. That is codependency.

Believing lies is dangerous. When we stop trusting our truth, when we repress our instincts, when we tell ourselves there must be something wrong with us for feeling what we feel or believing what we believe, we deal a deadly blow to our self and our health.

When we discount that important part of ourselves that knows what is the truth, we cut ourselves off from our center. We feel crazy. We get into shame, fear, and confusion. We can't get our bearings when we allow someone to pull the rug from under us.

This does not mean that we are never wrong. But we are not always wrong.

Be open. Stand in our truth. Trust what you know. And refuse to buy into denial, nonsense, bullying, or coercion that would like to take you off course.

Ask to be shown the truth, clearly - not by the person trying to manipulate or convince you, but by yourself, your Higher Power, and the Universe.

Today, I will trust my truth, my instincts, and my ability to ground myself in reality. I will not allow myself to be swayed by bullying, manipulating, games, dishonesty, or people with peculiar agendas.

I was always told it wasn't okay to be me. I grew up thinking I was less than. I will always be grateful to the program for teaching me that it is okay to http://www.animated-gifs.eu/insects-bees-series/0005.gif me.

My given name was Beatrice JoAnne, but my given name was JoAnne. I got called Jo for most of my life. I resented the name Beatrice, even though I was named after my mother's sister who died at the age of 21 when my mom was only 7 years old. It was a real honour and yet I couldn't see it. It wasn't until I was building my own web sites that I was looking for different names for my 15 sites. I found I liked Bea Jo. It meant, it is okay to http://www.animated-gifs.eu/insects-bees-series/0004.gif Jo.

[MajestyJo]

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Gratitude is heaven itself;
There could be no heaven without gratitude;
I feel it and I know it.
I thank God and man for it.

~ William Blake ~


Today is
the Tomorrow
you worried
about
Yesterday.

MOTTO ON A SUNDIAL

[MajestyJo]

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Endurance is the crowning quality,
And patience all the passion of great hearts.

- James Rusell Lowell

[MajestyJo]

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Appreciate the possibilities

In the smallest detail of life there is much for which to be thankful. In all of life itself there is no limit to the possibilities
for appreciation.

In each day, in each moment, life's blessings continuously pour forth. In the quiet times, in the grand and magnificent experiences, there is always richness upon richness in the living of life.

Certainly there are disappointments and pains that come along on a regular basis. Yet when you stand back and look at the big picture, those difficult moments, as intense as they are, only make up a tiny fraction of the overall possibilities.

On the whole, life is exceedingly worth any trouble, any setback, any difficulty. For always there are countless possibilities of goodness stretching out in every direction.

The simple appreciation of the positive possibilities in any moment will begin to bring the best of those possibilities to life. Merely recalling how good life can be will serve to make it truly better.

Life asks much of you, and yet it gives far, far more than it asks. Appreciate the countless possibilities, and you can indeed make the best of them real.

[MajestyJo]

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Equality of God

Bring us, O Lord, at our last awakening, into the house and gate of heaven, to ener into that gate and dwell in that house where there shall be no darkness nor dazzling, but one equal light; no noise nor silence, but one equal music; no fears nor hopes, but one equal possession; no ends nor beginnings, but one equal eternity; in the habitations of Thy glory and dominion, world without end. Amen.

- John Donne

[MajestyJo]

I just have to share this one that I keep beside my bed.

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Dear God

So far today, God, I've done alright.
I haven't gossiped, haven't lost my temper,
haven't been greedy, grumpy, selfish or overindulgent. I'm really glad about that.

But in a few minutes, God, I'm going to get out of bed and from then on I'm probably going to need lots of help!

Thank You Lord for your help.

Amen

Received from a friend original source unknown.