I referred to the spiritual value inherent in the slogan, Let Go and Let God, in the last blog. I mention it again because it's so important to free ourselves of stress and any time we try to take the reigns that either belong to some one else or to God, we are going to be met with frustration, stress, anger or, at the very least, resistance. No one wins when we are intent on trying to be in charge of the circumstances of some one else's life. We may even have a very good idea for them to try, but if they resist, we simply must let go. I have done a lot of[...]
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karencasey
0 I'm not sure who coined the phrase, "it is what it is," but it fits for so many situations and it's used by every one. It's not surprising to hear television commentators use it with as much frequency as the ordinary citizen. One reason it resonates with me is that it implies acceptance and surely, there's much we simply have to accept. There is very little in our control at the end of the day. The phrase reminds me of the Serenity Prayer, a shorthand way of saying it, actually. There are things we can change, for instance: those things that relate to ou[...]
It's so good to get back to the blog. I have been letting other aspects of life get in the way and I have missed connecting with you. It's an activity that keeps me grounded and I need the grounding, I assure you. I have multiple balls in the air on most days. The really great news in my life right now is the release of my newest book: Let Go Now: Embracing Detachment. I am really excited with it. It was published by Conari and is available on amazon and can be ordered in all the bookstores too. You can always "see inside" when you go to amazon, you kno[...]
I pose that question because I think it's worthy of consideration in every conversation I have. I have tried over the past few years to let those words guide me when sharing my opinions with others. It's simply so natural for me to think I have all the answers; that my assessment of any situation is the correct one. However, what may be right for me is not necessarily right for some one else. This is true whether we are talking about the action a person is considering or the opinion one is harboring. It's not my right, or any one else's either, to assu[...]
I was in a great conversation with some women friends this morning. In fact, we talk every morning about the spiritual journey we share. It's not only a wonderful way to begin the day but it's a great opportunity to make a valuable contribution to the world we share with so many others. Our conversations always center on leaving the world a more peaceful place than we may found it when first arising. This morning our discussion boiled down to doing no harm, even for a minute, when in an encounter with a friend or a stranger. Making the decision to live "[...]
Yesterday was my birthday. Admitting my age makes me sound far older than I feel. I was 71. Yikes!! And I can honestly say I don't feel any thing close to that. In fact, in many respects, I feel younger as the years pass. I find that curious but I know it's true for many others too. Perhaps it has to do with how we are choosing to live our lives. Enumerating what's been different in these later years is enlightening. For one thing, I simply am not bogged down by worry any more. I am content with the life I am leading and feel as though I have be[...]
My mother passed away in 1998 but not a single day goes by that I don't think fondly of her. I was particularly reminded of her at church yesterday. Our minister honored those mothers present and those mothers no longer with us. It's a miracle that I think so fondly of my mother, actually, because we were not great friends in my early adulthood. We were more or less estranged after I left my home town with a husband they didn't really like. And then in my early recovery I stayed away by choice, even though that husband was no longer a part of my life.[...]
I mentioned in the last blog the joy of reconnecting with Ellen, a friend I had seen very little of since our graduation from high school in Indiana nearly 55 years ago. As I write that number, I am absolutely amazed at how quickly time passes, never to be repeated. Moment by moment our lives pass us by and then an event occurs that triggers a "look back," and we're shocked. The reality of who we have become startles us. The mini-reunion we had in Chicago last week end provided that "look back" and I remain in a state of shock. We felt young yet, or so we[...]
The first time I heard that the definition of insanity was repeating the same behavior, over and over again, expecting different results; I knew my name had been called. I simply had never known I could make an entirely new choice in how I interpreted what others were doing or saying. Nor did I understand that I could choose a decidedly different response to the data presented to me. My learning curve was steep, I must say. How lucky I feel that my journey was to include the 12 step path. It's nice to be able to acknowledge that I have grown with the help[...]
I just returned Tuesday night from the 75th AA International Convention in San Antonio, thus my absence from the blog site. It was a wet, very humid event but filled with great talks, lots of encounters with friends, new and old, and for me, 9 hours of greeting friends and signing books at the Hazelden site in "tent city." I was overwhelmed, again and again, by the wonderful conversations with friends and new acquaintances. San Antonio is a lovely city. The Riverwalk is bordered by great restaurants and every thing was in easy walking distance, once you got[...]