Pause For Thought

[MajestyJo]

All we are asked to do is try. The failure comes when we don't pick ourselves up and try again. Don't give up until the miracle happens.

Psalm 120:1
I call on the LORD in my distress, and he answers me

[MajestyJo]

Time passes.
Life happens.
Distance separates.
Children grow up.

Jobs come and go.
Love waxes and wanes.
Men don't do what they're supposed to do.

Hearts break.
Parents die.
Colleagues forget favors.
Careers end.


BUT.........

Sisters are there,
No matter how much time and how
Many miles are between you.
A girl friend is never farther away
Than needing her can reach.


When you have to walk that lonesome valley and you
Have to walk it by yourself, the women in your life
Will be on the valley's rim, cheering you on,
Praying for you, pulling for you, intervening on
Your behalf, and waiting with open arms at the
Valleys' end.

Sometimes, they will even break the rules and walk
Beside you...Or come in and carry you out.
Girlfriends, daughters, granddaughters,

Daughters-in-law, sisters, sisters-in-law, Mothers,
Grandmothers , aunties, nieces, cousins, and extended
Family, all bless our life!

The world wouldn't be the same without women, and
Neither would I. When we began this adventure called
Womanhood, we had no idea of the incredible joys or
Sorrows that lay ahead. Nor did we know how much we
Would need each other.

Every day, we need each other still.

- Unknown

[MajestyJo]

You are worthy of recovery. Even though I have to take a break, that doesn't mean that I am finished. Tonight, I know the words will come, but when I am in pain, it is sometimes difficult to hear them. I need to practice self-care.

James 1:5-8
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossedA by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

[MajestyJo]

How Can I Make You Smile Again?

How can I mend your broken heart?
Your pain… I sadly see
How can I wipe your tears away?
And take them all for me

To see the joy sparkle… once more
Upon the face I love
How can I make you smile again?
My always cherished friend

How can I let you know?
The sun will rise tomorrow
Where someday soon the tears will fade
Leaving joyful memories... not sorrow

How can I let you know?
The stars will shine once more
Even more beautiful and glorious
Than they ever did before

If God chose me to paint a rainbow
I’d place it in your heart
Filling it with promises and love
Adding all your dreams and hopes

How can I make you smile again?
If I could… I’d take your pain
Yet, I'll lift my voice in sweetest prayer... instead
And there... I'll add your name


By Brenda Conley (c) 2003

Read between the lines, and read what isn't being said. The best way is to get out of self, and help someone else. It is amazing how small your problems are when you see someone who is suffering more than you.

[MajestyJo]

Do I put too much reliance on any one member of the group? That is, do I make a tin god out of some one person? Do I set that person on a pedestal? If I do, I am building my house on sand.

Twenty-four Hours a Day

This happened to me. I felt like I was being used. I think they looked at me as their HP and looked to be for their good orderly direction. I can share my experience, strength, and hope, yet they need to connect to their own God, to find the Divine Orderly Good in their own lives.

A friend of mine use to act like she was her husband's Higher Power. He would learn things in recovery and she would discount them and it was to be her way. Thankfully he stayed sober with only one relapse.

The group as a whole was my Higher Power for a while because I was angry at the God I was raised with. Until I could find one of my own understanding, it worked. A group of alcoholics showing me a new way to live. When I look at the group as a whole, instead of individuals, I can maintain a healthy outlook.

Higher Power is an energy force working in my life, not a person. Humans are vulnerable and not always infallible, as much as they would like to think they are. What is good for someone, may not be good for someone else. We are unable to see the whole picture, the grand scheme of things.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infallibility

[MajestyJo]

It Was
=======

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,

it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness,

it was the epoc of belief, it was the epoc of incredulity,

it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness,

it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair,

we had everything before us, we had nothing before us,

we were all going direct to heaven,
we were all going direct the other way

in short, the period was so far like the present period...


This was written by Charles Dickens, from the novel,
"A Tale of Two Cities," about the times of the French revolution.

Sounds very much like today doesn't it?

There is nothing new under the sun.

Received with thanks from my friend Anne

[MajestyJo]

1 Peter 5:7
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

[MajestyJo]

Spend time with your soul

"Be mindful of how you approach time. Watching the clock is not the same as watching the sun rise."

-- Sophia Bedford-Pierce

What would your soul consider a waste of time?

To a soul, the only real time is right NOW. Not the future or the past. It lives in connecting deeply with the rich experience of each moment. Through awareness we can be in touch with our authentic self and how it perceives all of the energies and guidance around and within us.

"Chronos is clocks, deadlines, watches, calendars, agendas, planners, schedules, beepers. Chronos is time at her worst. Chronos keeps track. ...Chronos is the world's time. Kairos is transcendence, infinity, reverence, joy, passion, love, the Sacred. Kairos is intimacy with the Real. Kairos is time at her best. ...Kairos is Spirit's time. We exist in chronos. We long for kairos. That's our duality. Chronos requires speed so that it won't be wasted. Kairos requires space so that it might be savored. We do in chronos. In kairos we're allowed to be ... It takes only a moment to cross over from chronos into kairos, but it does take a moment. All that kairos asks is our willingness to stop running long enough to hear the music of the spheres."

-- Sarah Ban Breathnach

"He who postpones the hour of living rightly is like the rustic who waits for the river to run out before he crosses."

-- Horace

- Higher Awareness

From Jo's Kitchen

[MajestyJo]

What depletes your soul?

"Certain activities, attitudes, foods, and persons support the cultivation of an unconscious life. They draw us away from our center. They throw us off-balance. They deplete the soul."

-- Patricia Lynn Reilly

Some activities we think are restful are, in fact, draining. Set an intention to really become aware of how you feel after you’ve engaged in different activities. Solitude and awareness help us make better choices for ourselves.

"Enlightenment is not about imagining figures of light but of making the darkness conscious."

-- C.G. Jung

Higher Awareness

From Jo's Kitchen originally, posted on another site. It is a good feeling when I come across something that meant so much to me, and isn`t completely lost because the sites were closed.

[MajestyJo]

I believe that when I surrender and say, "Help, I need help, I am empowered to do what I need to do for myself. My God doesn't do anything for me that I can do for myself. I can't just sit back and expect Him to do it for me.

He gave me freedom of choice. If I make the wrong choice, I am given the ability to change my mind. He doen't take me by the scruff of the neck and say, "Hey you, what the heck are you doing!" He lets me learn by my mistakes.

I am given the direction, and what I do with it in the moment is my choice. I can ignore it, yet it has been my experience that He keeps bringing me back until I learn the lesson. He often keeps a person in my life until I have learned the lesson, or He will bring in a new person if I am not listening to the first one.

As I posted the other day, God is or He isn't! It is my choice as to whether I choose to make Him a part of my day. I often say to people, examine your motives. When you think of doing something ask yourself, "Can I take God with me! Would God approve of this action! Am I acting on my will and completely self-centered or am I aligning my will with Gods, and am acting for the Good of God and the Whole.

God is only in charge if I allow Him to be. I can ask Him to be a part of my life, but if I don't listen and follow the direction I am given, as much as is presence is there, it is me who is taking charge of my life. There is a big difference.

My God and I are friend. I feel a very strong connection and very seldom in my life do I not take a moment to meditate and ask for the good orderly direction I need. Not only daily, but through out the day. I am not a saint believe me. I have been known to tell Him "Where to go! What I think of His opinion!" and have repeatedly said, "This isn't funny!" only to find myself breaking out in laughter.

God has a sense of humor, He has to. to have put up with me for so many years. I often think He sits there looking down and saying, "Tsk! Tsk! Didn't she learn her lesson the last time! Don't tell me we have to go through this again!"

Each day is a new beginning. What I do with it is my choice. Today is a good day. I wish the same for you!

[MajestyJo]

When you reach the end of your rope,
tie a knot in it and hang on.
-Thomas Jefferson

Remember "This Too Shall Pass!" This means the good and the not so good times.

Know you are not alone, although the way may seem dangerous, overwhelming and fearful, know that if your God brought you to it, He/She will see you through it.

[MajestyJo]

There's nothing in the world, I know,
That can escape from love,
For every depth it goes below,
And every height above.

It waits, as waits the sky,
Until the clouds go by,
Yet shines serenely on
With an eternal day,
Alike when they are gone,
And when they stay.

Implacable is love,
Foes may be bought or teased
From their hostile intent,
But he goes unappeased
Who is on kindness bent.

- Henry David Thoreau

[MajestyJo]

DO YOU JUST BELONG?

ARE YOU AN ACTIVE MEMBER,
THE KIND THAT WOULD BE MISSED
OR ARE YOU JUST CONTENTED
THAT YOUR NAME IS ON THE LIST?

DO YOU ATTEND THE MEETINGS
AND MINGLE WITH THE FLOCK?
OR DO YOU MEET IN PRIVATE
AND CRITICIZE AND KNOCK?

DO YOU TAKE AN ACTIVE PART
TO HELP THE WORK ALONG?
OR ARE YOU SATISFIED TO BE
THE KIND THAT JUST BELONGS?

DO YOU WORK ON COMMITTEES,
TO THIS THERE IS NO TRICK;
OR LEAVE THE WORK TO JUST A FEW,
AND TALK ABOUT THE CLIQUE?

PLEASE COME TO THE MEETINGS OFTEN,
AND HELP WITH HAND AND HEART.
DON'T BE JUST A MEMBER
BUT TAKE AND ACTIVE PART.

THINK THIS OVER, MEMBERS,
YOU KNOW WHAT'S RIGHT FROM WRONG.
ARE YOU AN ACTIVE MEMBER
OR DO YOU JUST BELONG?

Origin unknown

[MajestyJo]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

You spend more time with yourself than with anyone else. Doesn't it make sense to put something into that relationship?

I am my own best friend and value my own companionship.

- Pocket Sponsor

It is important to get to know myself. I lived my life through others for so many years. I had to find myself so I could look at what needed changing and to look at what needed nurturing.

If no one has told you today, I love you. Learn to love yourself. Give yourself a hug!

I found myself reflected in the people in the rooms of recovery. As they say, "It takes one to know one." I took a little from one person, a lot from another, none from that one thank you very much for showing me how not to work my program.

Be kind to yourself. Go to a meeting! Get to know yourself through the fellowship of the spirit.

[MajestyJo]

“At the end, it won’t matter where you came from, or on what side of the tracks you lived. It won’t matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant. Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.

· So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured?
· What will matter is not what you bought, but what you built.
· What will matter is not what you got, but what you gave.
· What will matter is not your success, but your significance.
· What will matter is not what you learned but what you taught.
· What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage, or sacrifice that enriched, empowered, or encouraged others.
· What will matter is not your competence, but your character.
· What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when you’re gone.
· What will matter is not your memories, but the memories that live on in those who loved you.
· What will matter is not how long you will be remembered, but by whom and for what.”

Received with thanks from my friend Carey