What I Believe - You and Your Higher Power Archives | Page 2 of 12

Karen's Musings, Reflections in the Mirror - You and Yourself, What I Believe - You and Your Higher Power

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July 22, 2015

A puppy update . . .

Nellie, our puppy, is getting both cuter and into more stuff as the days go by. I sure wish I had had children. I feel in the dark about so much of this training. Everyone keeps saying it's like having a baby. Well, never having had a child is a drawback, I can assure you. But she and I are figuring it out. One No! at a time. One treat at a time. Raising a puppy is kind of like getting sober, I have decided. You live in a place of doubt quite often. You think you are grasping the first step, and the next thing you know, you are trying to contr[...]

Karen's Musings, What I Believe - You and Your Higher Power

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June 17, 2015

Another twist on success . . .

After writing the last post I was reminded of all the folks I have known in the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous who didn't meet with "success" on their first attempt at sobriety. And many of them simply got up, brushed themselves off, and tried all over again. Failure to stay clean and sober doesn't mean that success will always elude you. On the contrary, refusal to try again is all that prevents a person from meeting with success. It is guaranteed unless you allow failure to define you. One of my dearest friends in the rooms of AA "failed" to stay sobe[...]

Reflections in the Mirror - You and Yourself, What I Believe - You and Your Higher Power

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April 20, 2015

Mastering a new tool is life sustaining.

About a month ago i was scheduled to do a women's retreat in Mount Pocono, PA. It was a group I had done retreats for a few other times. I was looking forward to the experience, as is true of every retreat or workshop experience I contract to do. Leading a group of women who are hungry for continued spiritual growth is what my calling is all about I believe. I love the interactions with the women. I love preparing my presentations, and I love making them. Speaking and writing simply make my heart sing with joy. And I am fortunate to be invited to do[...]

Karen's Musings, Reflections in the Mirror - You and Yourself, What I Believe - You and Your Higher Power

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February 6, 2015

Reviewing the “old tricks.”

A funk had settled over me. I wasn't hopping out of bed with much enthusiasm. The dread of old had settled in. Again. For how long this time, I wondered. This experience isn't new. It's a common theme for me, actually. Sometimes it feels like I pay more than an occasional "visit" to this site. I nestle in, in fact. And then the fear of how long it will last creeps in. It wouldn't be such a big deal but it changes my behavior toward others. Those I love the most become my central focus and placing them under the microscope doesn't add peace t[...]

Circle of Family and Friends - You and Your Personal Community, What I Believe - You and Your Higher Power

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January 4, 2015

“I am here only to be truly helpful . . .”

This is the first line of a prayer that I say every morning. And I use this line as a "stand alone" throughout the day when I feel uncertain about the situation I am faced with. I believe, completely, that each person on the planet is here to be only helpful, helpful to every other person who is encountered throughout the day. How simple this makes our "assignment." How manageable this makes the experiences we get to have every day. The prayer offers me instant relief, actually. And everyone of us deserves a life that is free from angst and fear and u[...]

What I Believe - You and Your Higher Power

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November 28, 2014

Every encounter is a Holy encounter.

I love this statement because it leaves no room for hedging your bets. It's a truth that simply is. No one who passes before you does so in a meaningless way. Each person is a blessing. Pure and simple. And we don't have to believe this for it to be true. That's the best part! A great exercise for anyone of us is to take an inventory of all those people we have encountered in the last week. Try to list them all first. Some of course are family members. Some are colleagues at work. Strangers are no doubt the biggest category but try to recall[...]

What I Believe - You and Your Higher Power

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November 3, 2014

Step Eleven: a pathway to peace.

Step Eleven softens my heart every time it’s the topic of discussion in one of my meetings. That wasn’t the case when I first got sober however; it wasn’t the case for the first year or two. Not because I didn’t believe in the possibility of the power of prayer or meditation; but because I had never tried it before walking into AA. And then when I did, I simply couldn’t sustain conscious contact when I did try. Nor could I fathom what God’s will for me might be. Actually, I had never ever considered the concept that God might have a plan for[...]

What I Believe - You and Your Higher Power

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August 24, 2014

The greatest gifts we can offer one another . . .

My life, by choice, is now more focused on the simple pleasures than was the case while in my fifties and sixties. Perhaps that’s normal maturity. The body gets tired. The mind seeks freedom from worry. And with age, our relationships generally become less intense; if we are lucky, they mellow out. The expenditure of time, to make them more peaceful, has already been spent. At 75, I've spent a lot of time. And it was all worth it. My guess is that regardless of age, you share these same thoughts. Or are trying to, at least. But I believe it�[...]

Reflections in the Mirror - You and Yourself, What I Believe - You and Your Higher Power

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August 12, 2014

75! A Milestone.

Blowing out the candles on a 75th birthday cake nearly took my breath away. Not because there were so many candles. Actually, there was only one. Thank goodness. It was simply the awareness of my age coupled with the realization that the years were slipping away all too quickly. Years that couldn't be repeated, recaptured, even remembered in some instances. So why lament 75? Simply because I don't want my remaining years to slip by so easily, so "unannounced," so nondescript. Each moment of our lives is sacred. I know that's not new information.[...]

What I Believe - You and Your Higher Power

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June 25, 2014

The Wilson House experience . . .

I mentioned a couple weeks back that I was scheduled to go to VT to facilitate a workshop at the Wilson House. That's the Bill Wilson House. And for any of you reading this who are in AA, you can only imagine what a thrill this was for me to have been asked to lead a workshop there. And 90 people attended. Mostly women but there were 10 or 12 brave men who showed up and they added a lot to our discussions. One of the primary themes in any workshop I do is that whom ever shows up is there by divine appointment. I believe that wherever any one of us shows[...]

What I Believe – You and Your Higher Power