I was first introduced to the idea of shifting my perception in the book: A COURSE IN MIRACLES. The book had no real author, at least there wasn't a name on the book's spine. One of my husband's sisters gave the set of books (originally there were 3 books in the set) to us as a gift. A cursory glance convinced me these books weren't up my alley. Joe felt likewise. So they sat on the book shelf for 4 or 5 years. Surprisingly, they actually called to me. Eventually. And when I picked them up this time, my response was all together different. I was[...]
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What I Believe – You and Your Higher Power
0 I find such comfort in the idea that we are "here, now," intentionally. I love the awareness that whomever I meet, only casually or quite seriously, was sent. In fact, I had "requested" the meeting at a time and in a space I have long since forgotten about. My first sponsor told me this in 1976. I completely dismissed the idea then. In fact, I felt uncomfortable around her for a time. Her spiritual beliefs often seemed farfetched to me. She was a psychic. She did readings and healings for women and men. Many in our circle of friends relied on he[...]
I was at my AA home group this morning. The topic was acceptance, a frequent choice, it seems. And what's unmistakably true is that it's a necessary choice if we want to experience peace. At no time in life will we be peaceful if we haven't cultivated the practice of acceptance. The good news is that once acceptance has been thoroughly cultivated, all we ever need to quietly remember is the phrase, "Let go." At that point, God, ever so subtly, steps in. Even sitting here writing this nudges me to drop my shoulders in a sign of acceptance. Handing ove[...]
I didn’t grow up in a “faith-filled” home. I never observed any one at 827 being quietly peaceful, trusting that the experiences we were sharing would work out OK. The days and nights were generally very tense, undergirded with the expectation that an outburst over something, large or small, imagined even, might occur at any moment. And usually did. Night after night the feeling present at the supper table mimicked the feeling at lunch. Tension was served and felt with each bite. Our family doctor, Dr. Cole, told my mother that I had a nervous st[...]
Feeling hopeless about a situation in your life makes all forward movement seem impossible. It’s not an accident that we have people around us who can share our sorrows and express hope for us when our own is depleted. Our lives are quite intentional, aren’t they? As has been said by thousands of people, nothing is happening accidentally. When one of us is down, another person appears who can show us the rainbow that’s hidden from our view. She didn’t appear haphazardly. She had an assignment. And you are fulfilling that “assignment” on occ[...]
I am very grateful that I eventually learned I didn’t have to respond to every thing that was said. Or even any thing that was said. The decision to say nothing, regardless of the inclination to be engaged, was a mere thought away. I only wish I had learned it sooner. Fortunately I did learn it before my father died. The last few years of his life were far more peaceful for both of us. His ways didn’t change very much and that didn’t matter. Mine did and it only takes one to “quit the dance” for it to end. Not having to respond to the be[...]
We make our lives far more complicated than they need to be. Do we think moving through the many phases of our life requires complexity if we want to "show others" how important we are? That has the ring of truth to it, I think. But the "actual truth," as I have come to understand it, is the opposite of that. Very definitely the opposite of that. Perhaps aging has changed my perspective. Maybe it's living according to the principles of the twelve steps that has prompted my reversal of thinking. But the older I am the less I want to be "ruffled"[...]
WE NEVER NEED TO FEEL HOPELESS. ONE’S HIGHER POWER IS ALWAYS PRESENT. There are innumerable personal situations that can cause creeping hopelessness. You have been diagnosed with a terminal illness with only months to live or a parent dies unexpectedly. Maybe your troubled teenager is on the run again and you feel you have no where to turn. The job you have loved for years suddenly gets cut with no forewarning. Or the boss who always understood your personal struggles and insecurities and willingly worked with you, gets transferred. Or the situation that eve[...]
It's a fact. Every single one of us has a purpose. And of course, there is only one of each of us. Only one! This means we are quite specifically completing one tiny part of the whole. Think of it as a jigsaw puzzle. No other person can fill the "space" assigned to us. No one! We are fulfilling a role that has been designated as ours alone. What I am doing will always be a different assignment from yours. Our work may fall into similar categories but there will be differences. Important differences and the people who should be affected by wha[...]
Taking that ever important moment to "step aside," can make a huge difference in how we perceive the people and the circumstances that surround us. Over none of them do we have control. But we do have full control over how we perceive every person and every situation. And that's a lot of power. Power that we are both privileged to have and expected to use. Pausing before formulating a decision regarding how to act in any circumstance rewards us with a quieting mind. For some of us a quiet mind is scarce. I have discovered, however, that the more I p[...]