MIXED BAGGAGE

[MajestyJo]

Love is a force. It is not a result; it is a cause. It is not a product; it produces. It is a power, like money, or steam or electricity. It is valueless unless you can give something else by means of it.

—Anne Morrow Lindbergh

My thought since I got up today was "Connect with someone."
When I read Just For Today this morning, it talked about isolation and I realize that the only person who I talked with for three days was my sponsor last night.

The last line of this quote gave me pause for thought. Not sure I understand the whole concept of what they meant yet because I haven't been awake long.

Yet it talks about giving, exchange of energy between on person and another. Giving from a place of love is a thing of power. It is a force being exchanged with others that we all may grow in body, mind and spirit. When we isolate, we are cut off from the spirit of love and isolate our soul.

Posted on another site in 2010

In order to give, we need to receive. We don`t always get back from the same source. Maybe the person we gave to is unable to give and in a place that does not allow him the understanding of Spiritual living.

We sometimes base our giving on money and what we can get out of it. That is NOT the spiritual way. A definite need for a change in attitude.

When you come from a place of love, you will not drain your energy, but renew it.

[MajestyJo]

A Hug For You



I've got a hug
Meant just for You
Warm and cuddly
Maybe even two.

And with this card
You will hear me say
"I hope things are fine
And to have a great day!"

My hug sends love
And best wishes, too,
I'll always have more
Just waiting for You!

©AngelWinks 2002

[MajestyJo]

Thoughts for the Day

Thursday, June 19, 2014

“Miracles happen every day,
change your perception of what a miracle is
and you'll see them all around you.”

Jon Bon Jovi

“Gratitude for the seemingly insignificant
— a seed –
this plants the giant miracle.”

Ann Voskamp

“Each one of you is a bundle of loving energy,
capable of creating anything you choose.
Miracles come from your love.
If you are willing to open your heart,
to love yourself and others,
life will always be a miracle.
The degree to which you are open and loving
is the degree to which miracles will come your way.”

Sanaya Roman & Duane Packer

[MajestyJo]

JUST FOR TODAY!

Within

from: "Source of Strength"

"I need power each day, because I get weary. But with A.A. as my structure and God as my source of strength, I can face life without taking a drink. I don't have to stare out my window in total despair any more. The ocean and the sun and the trees and all the fantastic beauty that God has created have finally become very real to me. I crave and need the presence of nature. But I must also bear in mind that it is the spirit within me, which comes from God, that is going to be the healing force."

© 1973, Came to Believe..., page 103

= The Hoffelds

JUST FOR TODAY:

For me, when I surrendered and said, "My way isn't working, the Spirit was given to me and it was my believe that it was there, the trusting in that new source of power, and my continual feeding of the Spirit which allowed it to grow. It became a Source so much more powerful than I could have ever imagined, and it has been my mainstay through all tribulation.

The Spirit is there, the Light is within, it is whether I choose to smother it, or nurture it within my soul as to how much it can do for me, one day at a time.

Posted in 2004, an affirmation of something I posted earlier, and it is just as good in today.

[MajestyJo]

Perfectionists and workaholics ignore the present moment by focusing on activities and circumstances. Bored individuals ignore the present moment by pushing circumstances away.

- Gary Zukav and Linda Francis

I am reminded that this is part of my disease. Playing the blame game, denial, and looking at people, places and things so I don't have to look at myself.

Addicted to busy. Addicted to getting things just right. Projecting either into the future or looking over our shoulders and blaming the past for our action in today.

Recovery is about change. It is about living in today. What happened in my past, does not have to happen in today or in the future if I take my program with me.

For so much of my life, it was, "I don't have to look at me when I am looking at you." I gave up my power. I allowed the people around me to dictate my life.

I had to come face to face with me. I found me in the rooms of recovery. It is a program of reflection. When I hear you talking, I know that it is me trying to get my attention.

My sponsor told me that I had to do was look at how I was looking at you to know what was going on with me!

When I look at what was, there has been change. When I look at what needs to be done (I didn't get this way overnight or even in 19 years), I know there is still lots of work to be done. Other times I look and I have seen I have taken a step back, detoured or stood still. Thanks to the program, I can take it all to my Higher Power and ask His Help. There are no quick fixes, there are no destinations, what we have is a journey!

Something I posted on another site in 2011.

I am grateful that I am coming up on 23 years of sobriety, God Wiling.

It is a one day at a time journey, and still walking it today. It isn't about the drugs and alcohol in today, it is my emotional sobriety. If I evade my emotions and what is happening in my life, I get sick and it can take me back to the drug I choose in the moment.

I need to change the old so it can transform and become a new way of life.

[MajestyJo]

love hate
desire aversion
joy sadness
fear courage
hope despair
happiness anger
acceptance/rejection

Received this list from a friend and added the last one myself.

Feel the feelings and do it anyway.
Just because you have a feeling, doesn't mean you have act on it.
Feel it, label it, know it for what it is. Don't try to shove it away, bury it, ignore it, but allow yourself to feel so you can heal.

“They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.”

- Carl W. Buechner

“You can close your eyes to the things you do not want to see, but you cannot close your heart to the things you do not want to feel.”

- lstyd

Some of my favorite recovery sayings are:

"Feel the fear and do it any way."

FEAR

- Face everythings and recover

- Flee everything and run

When I was three and my brother was two, I saw him killed and blamed myself for his death. From that time onward, I shoved down the feelings and didn't want to feel. I have no visual of this event, all I had were the words in my head, "Dougie come out of the way." I thought because he was coming to me, I killed him. What I didn't know until I learned in my 50s from my aunt, was that I had nominated myself as his caretaker the day he was born. A lot to take on 9 days before her 2nd birthday.

Make the journey from your head to your heart.

Posted on another site in 2010

[MajestyJo]

Heal Your Life

I receive the word of Love clearly and easily. I enjoy receiving and following the Divine guidance that I hear. My spiritual ears are open, now.

Doreen Virtue


Have a lot of angel cards that she has written.

[MajestyJo]

Something I posted in 2004 on another site. It could be a repeat of something here.

KEEPERS

I grew up in the fifties with practical parents -- a Mother, God love her, who washed aluminum foil after she cooked in it, then reused it. She was the original recycle queen, before they had a name for it...

Father who was happier getting old shoes fixed than buying new ones.

Their marriage was good, their dreams focused. Their best friends lived barely a wave away. I can see them now, Dad in trousers, tee shirt and a hat and Mom in a house dress, lawn mower in one hand, dishtowel in the other.

It was the time for fixing things -- a curtain rod, the kitchen radio, screen door, the oven door, the hem in a dress. Things we keep.

It was a way of life, and sometimes it made me crazy.

All that re-fixing, reheating, renewing, I wanted just once to be wasteful. Waste meant affluence. Throwing things away meant you knew there'd always be more.

But then my Mother died, and on that clear summer's night, in the warmth of the hospital room, I was struck with the pain of learning that sometimes there isn't any 'more.'

Sometimes, what we care about most gets all used up and goes away...never to return.

So...while we have it...it's best we love it.....and care for it.....and fix it when it's broken.....and heal it when it's sick.

This is true.....for marriage.....and old cars.....and children with bad report cards.....and dogs with bad hips.....and aging parents.....and grandparents.

We keep them because they are worth it, because we are worth it.

Some things we keep.

Like a best friend that moved away -- or -- a classmate we grew up with.

There are just some things that make life important, like people we know who are special.....and so, we keep them close!

I received this from someone who thought I was a 'keeper'! Then I sent it to the people I think of in the same way. Now it's your turn to send this to those people that are "keepers" in your life.I grew up in the fifties with practical parents -- a Mother, God love her, who washed aluminum foil after she cooked in it, then reused it. She was the original recycle queen, before they had a name for it...

Father who was happier getting old shoes fixed than buying new ones.

Their marriage was good, their dreams focused. Their best friends lived barely a wave away. I can see them now, Dad in trousers, tee shirt and a hat and Mom in a house dress, lawn mower in one hand, dishtowel in the other.

It was the time for fixing things -- a curtain rod, the kitchen radio, screen door, the oven door, the hem in a dress. Things we keep.

It was a way of life, and sometimes it made me crazy.

All that re-fixing, reheating, renewing, I wanted just once to be wasteful. Waste meant affluence. Throwing things away meant you knew there'd always be more.

But then my Mother died, and on that clear summer's night, in the warmth of the hospital room, I was struck with the pain of learning that sometimes there isn't any 'more.'

Sometimes, what we care about most gets all used up and goes away...never to return.

So...while we have it...it's best we love it.....and care for it.....and fix it when it's broken.....and heal it when it's sick.

This is true.....for marriage.....and old cars.....and children with bad report cards.....and dogs with bad hips.....and aging parents.....and grandparents.

We keep them because they are worth it, because we are worth it.

Some things we keep.

Like a best friend that moved away -- or -- a classmate we grew up with.

There are just some things that make life important, like people we know who are special.....and so, we keep them close!

I received this from someone who thought I was a 'keeper'! Then I sent it to the people I think of in the same way. Now it's your turn to send this to those people that are "keepers" in your life.

[MajestyJo]

I argued with my sponsor about God. He wrote on a piece of paper: 'God as I understand God is...' and said, 'Go home and finish this sentence. So, I thought about this for a long time, then wrote pages and pages about what I thought was the quintessential distillation of every theory, every religious notion about God. And here I had created the perfect one. I took it back to him, he didn't even look at it, he just crumpled it up and said: 'Good, now go home and pray to it.' - John L.

- Alkiespeaks

This affirms something that I am a firm believer of, it doesn't matter what your concept is of God is, as long as you get a picture in your own mind, and you in turn pray to it.

It is "God" as I understand Him. Many change it to read "God as I understand God." When you get to Step Three, it changes to "God as we understood Him."

I find an understanding, and that understanding changes over time and as I have said many times, "God is as He reveals Himself to me in today.

I have to be aware. I have to connect. I have to learn to trust. I have to learn to wait on His time, not mine. It is always good to pray and close with "Thy will, not mine be done."

A quiet is never remiss. A continuing literary praying for the same thing over and over again, shows lack of trust. I think I used the right word. As I heard a priest (he became one in recovery and has over 50 years sober) say, "It is a wonder God doesn't lean over the side of heaven and say, "Will you all just shut up!"

He also made me aware that our inventory and recovery is in today, not about what was, but what is in today. Pray and God will see you through it.

Posted in 2011

When something from my past comes into my thoughts in today, I do a 4th and 5th Step on the situation. As new things come up in today, I do a 10th Step, call my sponsor, and if needed will do a 4th to deal with the feelings and check to see if today is rooted in the past.

Don't let the past take over your today.



Sorry if some are reruns. They were brouught to my attention today, so thought I would share them with you.

[MajestyJo]

Didn't find recovery until I was 49 years old. I thought I had missed out on life, only to find a new beginning to a wonderful new way of living. When I was two years sober, I wanted to stand on the top of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (just newly built), and say, "Hey People, I have found a new way to live, let me tell you all about it. Ten years later, thanks to the internet, I was telling the world. Here I am 20 years later, still carrying the message of recovery and how it has worked for me.

When you look at each day as a new beginning and think of yourself as a newcomer, the blessings are bountiful. I don't mean monitary values, although some achieve it, my blessings have been priceless. The biggest gift is finding myself.

[MajestyJo]

Someone has written these beautiful words. Try to understand the deep meanings in them.



They are "like" the Ten Commandments meant to be followed in life all the time.
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1] Prayer is not a "spare wheel" that you pull out when in trouble; it is a "steering wheel" that directs us in the right path throughout life.
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2] Do you know why a car's WINDSHIELD is so large and the rear view mirror is so small? Because our PAST is not as important as our FUTURE. So, look ahead and move on.
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3] Friendship is like a BOOK. It takes few seconds to burn, but it takes years to write.
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4] All things in life are temporary. If going well enjoy it, they will not last forever. If going wrong don't worry, they can't last long either.
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5] Old friends are like Gold! New friends are Diamonds! If you get a Diamond, don't forget the Gold! Because to hold a Diamond, you always need a base of Gold!

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6] Often when we lose hope and think this is the end, GOD smiles from above and says, "Relax, sweetheart, it's just a bend, not the end!
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7] When GOD solves your problems, you have faith in HIS abilities; when GOD doesn't solve your problems HE has faith in your abilities.

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8] A blind person asked St. Anthony: "Can there be anything worse than losing eye sight?" He replied: "Yes, losing your vision."

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9] When you pray for others, God listens to you and blesses them; and sometimes, when you are safe and happy, remember that someone has prayed for you.

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10] WORRYING does not take away tomorrow's TROUBLES; it takes away today's PEACE.

This could be a repeat, just not sure where it is posted. As Bluidkiti said to me several years ago, "It doesn't matter, it speaks to you in today."

[MajestyJo]

http://www.angel9oh7.com/gbbutterflyfrndship.html

[MajestyJo]

Man needs difficulties; they are necessary for health.

- Carl Jung

In early recovery, due to a much needed 'attitude' adjustment, I remember scoffing at the phrase "If you didn't have difficult moments, you wouldn't be able to enjoy or recognize the good ones when they came."

Of course, I wanted everything yesterday. I wanted the quick fix, and the "now I have quit drinking" syndrome made me think that everything should be going my way and how dare anything or anyone rain on my parade.

We tend to forget that we didn't get sick overnight and we don't heal and get better overnight, especially if we are not willing to do any work on changing our lives, our attitude and the people, place and things that were apart of our journey to get here.

Why should I get cravings just because I choose to go visit my old 'buddies' in the bar? Why shouldn't I feel like I want to substitute my drug of choice for a little weed when I go and visit my best friend, who I met the last time I was in jail. Why shouldn't I be happy, joyous and free even though I am acting out in my old ways and still being mentally, emotionally and physically abusive to those around me. There is nothing wrong with me anymore, I don't drink. It is everyone else's fault. Life would be so better if people would just do what I .......

The great "I" am, if I don't lose it, I will lose it. Sobriety that is!

Another post from 2004.

When I read these old posts, it reminds me that this is a one day at a time program. Here it is 10 years later, I can still get into these thoughts. The good things are the tools of recovery.

[MajestyJo]

"Take Advantage of the Storm"

By Bob Perks



Answers to life can be found in everyday events.

Watching nature, watching people and watching
animals interact with each other provides some
of the simplest solutions to life's biggest problems.

This became more apparent to me yesterday.

It caused me to ask myself, "How do I respond to the storms in life?"

People run when it starts to rain. I love to walk in it.

My wife, hates thunder. I love to stand on my front porch and feel it. I grew up doing it and never really felt the fear many people do when a bolt of lightening flashes and the windows rattle in my house.

I remember a religious sister telling how wonderful the storm was the night before. "Oh, the power of God!" she proclaimed.

They have proven that the animal world senses far in advance changes in the weather, earthquakes, tsunamis and approaching storms.

My dog, Ricky begins to shake long before the storm is close enough to notice.

I was about to feed my three dogs yesterday and as usual, I let them out in the yard first.

They weren't even off the deck when thunder rolled across the skies and they did an immediate about face.

I have learned long ago that there is no sense forcing them to remain there. They will accomplish nothing.

So, I placed their food in their bowls and called Ricky into the kitchen. If he could have crawled any closer to the floor he'd be a snake.

I thought he'd never eat, but he began to do so and I walked away.

Phil shakes like one of those old electric football games that vibrated the players across the field. So I expected nothing from him.

Upon my return to the kitchen Ricky was just standing there in place next to his bowl.

I always mix a little white meat chicken in his food. He apparently was brave enough to eat some it right out of the dry food leaving most everything else.

The thunder became louder and more frequent. The wind caused a few branches to bang against the roof thus forcing him to abandon his meal.

I urged him to go lie down and he did.

Then I watched Phil. Shaking like a wind up toy he made his way across the tiled kitchen floor and stood over Ricky's bowl.

He ate all the remaining tiny pieces of chicken and a few of the dry.

Normally, if Ricky was standing there, he wouldn't dare come close.

But today, he took advantage of the storm.

In spite of his fear, he saw an opportunity to get what he wanted. His desire for the prize outweighed his fear of the storm.

That's when it hit me. There was a powerful lesson in it for me and I hope for you.

As humans we face all kinds of storms. They roll in unannounced, pass through quickly or stay for much too long.

Sometimes we crawl into a corner or pull the blankets of false security over our heads and shake and shiver praying it will all pass so we can get on with life.

If you dare stick your head out for a moment you might be surprised to discover there are people out there in the same storms doing what they must do to get what they must have out of life.

Most storms are like those natural storms. Yes, there is the reality of experiencing some damage or loss, but for the most part they are all thunder and lightening putting on a show of God's magnificent power.

Isn't it time you decided too?

"Take Advantage of the Storm?"

I think this may be a rerun, but it gave me pause for thought, so I am sharing it with you.

[MajestyJo]

-------------------------------------------------
MountainWings A MountainWings Moment
#4055 Wings Over The Mountains of Life
-------------------------------------------------

Warning Light
=============

Today I was driving in my truck up a busy street,
talking out loud to God, as I sometimes do.

I glanced down at my gas gauge for the 10th time only to see that I was still on empty, and the orange glow of the warning light was still very much glowing at me.

I had been telling God that I didn't know what to do and that I was in need of His wisdom.

My car insurance was due yesterday, my truck payment is 3 months overdue, my cell phone was turned off,
(I suffer from anxiety and panic attacks so that is a big one for me).

I am on medical disability for my anxiety, no job and very broke.

I explained to God that something really needed to change, and that I am at my end and can't do this anymore.

Now, let me explain something to you.

I believe in God. I attend an awesome church but not as
regularly as I should. I have a Bible but don't pick it up to read it as often as I should. I have so many opportunities to attend small group studies with my church and even get togethers, but I don't.

That's when it hit me.

I was running on empty.

My spiritual Warning Light has been glowing orange for months now, and I have just kept on going; filling up just enough to get me by, like I do with my gas tank, fill up with just $10.00 worth of gas to get me to the next week.

I didn't get the meaning of it until today. It hit me.

I was actually having a MountainWings moment, and I was excited.

I pulled over and thanked God for showing me what changes I needed to make, what I had to do to fill myself with spiritual fuel.

It was so simple that I had to laugh about it.

It's amazing how we talk to God, and yet sometimes never really open ourselves to listen for his reply.

~A MountainWings Original by Lisa Gizman, Lewiston, ID~

This was sent to me by a friend, and as they say, "God works through people, places and things."

It was because of a spiritual awareness like this that brought me to this site. I know that I can't just 'get by' and that I need spiritual food and I thank you all for being a part of my daily diet.

From 2004

The same is true in today, without you there is no me.