Block | Karen Casey

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

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December 20, 2013

Having faith is the key to peace of mind.

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 out[...]

Circle of Family and Friends - You and Your Personal Community, Your Experience, Strength and Hope

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December 14, 2013

The holidays are edging closer and I’m thrilled about it.

I am often the only person in a collection of friends who is genuinely happy that Christmas is heading toward us, at full-speed. I have loved every aspect of the holidays since childhood. Is it because I grew up in a healthy, happy family? Not really. But w[...]

Karen's Musings, Reflections in the Mirror - You and Yourself

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December 7, 2013

The journey is perfect, the stumbles as well as the strides.

I don’t know about you but I have stumbled many times getting to where I am now. I began stumbling, literally, when I took my first drink at 13. Hiding behind the garage at an outdoor family gathering, I gulped down my whiskey and coke before any one could no[...]

Circle of Family and Friends - You and Your Personal Community

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November 30, 2013

Step aside. And experience a miracle in the making.

I began the practice of “stepping aside” only after years of stepping into business that was clearly not my own. I had mistakenly assumed that helping others make their decisions was an important “calling.” It showed them I cared. It was my way of rem[...]

Reflections in the Mirror - You and Yourself

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November 3, 2013

Breathe. Pause. Breathe. Pause. Breathe. . .

The gift of a somewhat retired life is having the time to fully appreciate the power of now, the power of nothingness. Which is, of course, the power of everythingness. This is a space I'm growing into in these days and weeks, hopefully months and years too, since[...]

Karen's Musings

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October 26, 2013

Eternity, what a concept. . .

I have lost a number of very good friends over the past couple of years. And I have mementoes from three of the women in my study. From one a rock, from another a book and the third, a pin. I find myself looking at their pictures, holding their remembrances,[...]

Reflections in the Mirror - You and Yourself

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October 17, 2013

I can choose peace instead of this. . .

I’ve mentioned in other posts how important A Course in Miracles has been to my spiritual development. Because “the course” complements the twelve steps of AA and Al-Anon, I feel many moments of actual joy nearly every day, a pay-off I had never expected. [...]

Karen's Musings

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October 1, 2013

W.A.I.T.

W.A.I.T. is an acronym for why am I talking? A young woman shared this idea at one of my AA meetings a few years ago. I had never heard it before but have used it, remembered it, forgotten it, and denied it to myself hundreds of times since then. It's a brill[...]

Karen's Musings, Reflections in the Mirror - You and Yourself

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September 25, 2013

Breathe, pause, and breathe again. . .

I am beginning a new book. As I "see" it now, it will be a book of essays that will drive home to the reader the idea that just because we are moving into a later stage of life, we need not assume that our joys will diminish. On the contrary, for most people th[...]

What I Believe - You and Your Higher Power

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September 18, 2013

Being hopeful sits “next door” to being successful. . .

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’[...]