Pause For Thought

[MajestyJo]

Sunshine and shadow and laughter and tears,
These are forever the paints of the years,
Splashed on the canvas of life day by day,
We are the artists, the colors are they.
We are the painters, the pigments we use
Never we're wholly permitted to chose.
Grief with its gray tint and joy with its red
Come from life's tubes to be blended and spread.

Here at the easel, the brushes at hand,
Each for a time is permitted to stand.
White was the canvas when first we began,
Ready to picture the life of a man.
Now we ar splashing the pigments about,
Knowing the reds and blues must give out,
Soon we must turn to the dull hues and gray,
Painting the sorrows that darken the way.

Now with the sunshine and now with the shade
Slowly but surely the picture is made.
Even the gray tints with beauty may glow
Recalling the joy of the lost long ago.
Let me not daub it with doubt and despair,
Deeds that are hasty, unkind and unfair,
But when the last bit of pigment is dried
Let me look back at my canvas with pride.

- - Edgar Guest

[MajestyJo]

Sometimes, there are experiences in life that from your vantage point may seem confusing, alarming, or worrisome. Or there may be events that look insignificant from where you are standing right now. Try seeing them from another point of view. Bury your face in the grass and look at the world from a bug's vantage point. Explore your home as if you were a small child. Take a ride in a small aircraft and experience the world from a bird's eye view. Just as kneeling down sometimes helps you see you more closely when you are looking for lost treasure, so can standing back help you appreciate the broader picture of what you are looking at. In doing so, you'll experience very different worlds.

As BW shared on another site, "If we are willing to surrender God will give us a New pair of glasses."

To that I say, "Amen!"

[MajestyJo]

MERRY CHRISTMAS
YOUR FIRST CHRISTMAS CARD



T'was two months before Christmas
When all through our land,

Not a Christian was praying

Nor taking a stand.

Why the PC Police had taken away
The reason for Christmas - no one could say.


The children were told by their schools not to sing

About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.

It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say

December 25th is just a ' Holiday '.


Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, cheques and credit

Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!

CD's from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-Pod

Something was changing, something quite odd!


Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa

In hopes to sell books by Fran-ken & Fonda..

As Targets were hanging their trees upside down
At Lowe's the word Christmas - was nowhere to be found.

At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears
You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.

Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-is-ty

Are words that were used to intimidate me.

Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton,
Wolf Blitzen

On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton !

At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter

To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.


And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith

Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace

The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded
The reason for the season, stopped before it started.


So as you celebrate 'Winter Break' under your 'Dream Tree'

Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.

Choose your words carefully, choose what you say

Shout "MERRY CHRISTMAS",
Not "Happy Holiday "!


Please, all Christians join together and
Wish everyone you meet

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Christ is The Reason for the Christ-mass Season!

Received with thanks from my friend Carey

[MajestyJo]

-Giving someone all your love is never an assurance that they'll love you back! Don't expect love in return; just wait for it to grow in their heart but if it doesn't, be content it grew in yours. It takes only a minute to get a crush on someone, an hour to like someone, and a day to love someone, but it takes a lifetime to forget someone.

-Don't go for looks; they can deceive. Don't go for wealth; even that fades away. Go for someone who makes you smile because it takes only a smile to make a dark day seem bright. Find the one that makes your heart smile.

-Dream what you want to dream; go where you want to go; be what you want to be, because you have only one life and one chance to do all the things you want to do.

Received with thanks from Lady Linda

[MajestyJo]

Odd title, but read this to the end. It will surprise you.

A long time ago in China , a girl named Li-Li got married & went to live with her husband and mother-in-law. In a very short time, Li-Li found that she couldn't get along with her mother-in-law at all.

Their personalities were very different, and Li-Li was angered by many of her mother-in-law's habits. In addition, she criticized Li-Li constantly.

Days passed, and weeks passed. Li-Li and her mother-in-law never stopped arguing and fighting.

But what made the situation even worse was that, according to ancient Chinese tradition, Li-Li had to bow to her mother-in-law and obey her every wish. All the anger and unhappiness in the house was causing Li-Li's poor husband! d great distress.

Finally, Li-Li could not stand her mother-in-! law's bad temper and dictatorship any longer, and she decided to do something about it! Li-Li went to see her father's good friend, Mr. Huang, who sold herbs.

She told him the situation and asked if he would give her some poison so that she could solve the problem once and for all.

Mr. Huang thought for awhile, and finally said, "Li-Li, I will help you solve your problem, but you must listen to me and obey what I tell you."

Li-Li said, "Yes, Mr. Huang, I will do whatever you tell me to do."Mr. Huang went into the back room, and returned in a few minutes with a package of herbs. He told Li-Li, "You can't use a quick-acting poison to get rid of your mother-in-law, because that would cause people to become suspicious Therefore, I have given you a number of herbs that will slowly build up poison in her body. Every other day prepare some delicious meal and put a little of these herbs in her serving.

Now, in order to make sure that nobody suspect you, when she dies, you must be very careful to act very friendly towards her. "Don't argue with her, obey her every wish, and treat her like a queen." Li-Li was so happy.

She thanked Mr. Huang and hurried home to start her plot of murdering her mother-in-law.

Weeks went by, and months went by, and every other day, Li-Li served the specially treated food to her mother-in-law. She remembered what Mr. Huang had said about avoiding suspicion, so she controlled her temper!r, obeyed her mother-in-law, and treated her like her own mother.

After six months had passed, the whole household had changed. Li-Li had practiced controlling her temper so much that she found that she almost never got mad or upset. She hadn't had an argument with her mother-in-law in six months because she now seemed much kinder and easier to get along with.

The mother-in-law's attitude toward Li-Li changed, and she began to love Li-Li like her own daughter. She kept telling friends and relatives that Li-Li was the best daughter-in-law one could ever find. Li-Li and her mother-in-law were now treating each other like a real mother and daughter.

Li-Li's husband was very happy to see what was happening. One day, Li-Li came to see Mr. Huang and asked for his help again She said, "Dear Mr. Huang, please help me to keep the poison from killing my mother-in-law. She's changed into such a nice woman, and I love her like my own mother. I do not want her to die because of the poison I gave her."

Mr. Huang smiled and nodded his head. "Li-Li, there's nothing to worry about. I never gave you any poison. The herbs I gave you were vitamins to improve her health. The only poison was in your mind and your attitude toward her, but that has been all washed away by the love which you gave to her."

HAVE YOU REALIZED that how you treat others is exactly how they will treat you? There is a wise Chinese saying: "The person who loves others will also be loved in return."

WE ARE ALL OF ONE SEED . TREAT EACH OTHER WITH DIGNITY AND RESPECT !

[MajestyJo]

IF I WERE SANTA - YOU KNOW WHAT I WOULD DO...




I'd dump silly gifts that are given to you
And deliver some things just inside your front door
Things you have lost, but treasured before.

I'd give you back all your maidenly vigor,
And to go along with it, a neat tiny figure.
Then restore the old color that once graced your hair
Before rinses and bleaches took residence there.

I'd bring back the shape with which you were gifted
So things now suspended need not be uplifted.
I'd draw in your tummy and smooth down your back
Till you'd be a dream in those tight fitting slacks.

I'd remove all your wrinkles and leave only one chin
So you wouldn't spend hours rubbing grease on your skin
You'd never have flashes or queer dizzy spells
And you wouldn't hear noises like ringing of bells.

No sore aching feet and no corns on your toes
No searching for spectacles when they're right on your nose
Not a shot would you take in your arm, hip or fanny
From a doctor who thinks you're a nervous old granny.

You'd never have a headache, so no pills would you take.
And no heating pad needed since your muscles won't ache
Yes, if I were Santa, you'd never look stupid
You'd be a cute little chick with the romance of a cupid.

I'd give a lift to your heart when those wolves start to whistle
And the joys of your heart would be light as a thistle.
But alas! I'm not Santa.I'm simply just me
The matronest of matrons you ever did see.

I wish I could tell you all the symptoms I've got
But I'm due at my doctor's for an estrogen shot.
Even though we've grown older this wish is sincere
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU AND HAPPY NEW YEAR.

[MajestyJo]

The Answer



A woman once lost in a life filled with pain
Feeling lonely, rejected; paralyzed by the shame
Of losing the battle waging deep from within
Her heart torn and battered
Not to be made whole again.

Is there an answer to this hell, she does cry?
Can someone please give me the reason that I
Feel so alone, so fearful, so desperate to find
The woman, the girl, the child locked inside?

Then a miracle happened
An answer to prayer
That lifted me up from the depths of despair
For someone much greater than I did appear
to lift me, to guide me, to lessen the fear
To give me the strength that I needed to prepare
To face who I am
To risk and to share.

To make the decision to set myself free
Free from the bondage of denial I now see
Would continue to hold me
As a prisoner of war.

Now the gift of sobriety has allowed me to soar
To heights much higher than I could perceive
Acceptance of self and the choice to believe
In the power of God, and the courage that I need
To maintain sobriety; to be honest and free.

Now there aren't enough words I can use to describe
The wonderful feelings I now feel inside
Self-love and self-confidence
Acceptance and pride
No longer behind dark emotions to hide
A woman now blessed with the skills to begin
A life filled with promise
Recovery begins.

- Lois Stargratt

[MajestyJo]

Balanced Diet



http://www.quotationspage.com/search...search=Balance

[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]

PERSONAL WORTH:

No matter how intelligent, attractive, or talented you may be - to the degree you doubt your worthiness you tend to sabotage your recovery efforts and undermine your relationships. Life is full of gifts and opportunities; you will open to receive and enjoy them to the degree that you begin to appreciate your innate worth, and to offer to yourself the same compassion and respect that you would give to others. Discovering your worth sets your spirit free.

Many factors shape our lives, including beliefs, support systems, motivation, relationships, family dynamics, fate, karma. But the central premise is that our sense of self-worth is the single most important determinant of the health, abundance, and joy we allow into our lives. Discovering your Worth is no more or less important than other potentials but only when you recognize your personal worth will you be open to other life potentials. Discovering your worth provides a foundation from which to build, one potential at a time, a new way of life. Finding your worth is the first step in creating enlightenment and enhancing your recovery work.

At its core, your level of self-worth is your answer to a single internal question: "How deserving am I?" Or, to put it more directly as it pertains to your daily life: "How good can I stand it today?" If you observe your life very closely, you will discover that you don't necessarily get what you deserve. Your addictions or life problems has not diminished your worth as a person. Only to the degree that you appreciate your innate human worthiness will your subconscious mind open up to life's gifts.


Success involves talent, effort, and creativity, but first of all, it requires a willingness to receive. Do you feel worthy of being well? When a window of opportunity appears, do you pull down the shade? Each of us has a specific degree of pleasure that feels right and appropriate. If that level is exceeded it makes us anxious. Many recovering people fear success because they do not feel worthy.

Because many people assume that self-esteem and self-worth mean the same thing, it seems important for me to note the distinction between the two. Self-worth (associated with self-respect) refers to your overall sense of value, worth, goodness, and deservedness. Your sense of worth can change over time based upon your actions. For example, my sense of self-worth has increased over time as I gradually learned to be a responsible person, loving father, a good friend and partner, my work as a therapist, and whatever minor assistance I bring to Dynamics Of Recovery or other services that I become involved in.

Self-esteem (associated with self-confidence) refers to liking or feeling good about yourself, your appearance, or your abilities. Your sense of self-esteem may change moment to moment, based on appearance, ability or situation. For example, as a clinical therapist I feel high self-esteem (confidence) in therapeutic situations, but less self-esteem at parties or social gatherings.

The central theme of this lesson/posting is that you "subconsciously" choose or attract into your life those people and experiences you believe you deserve! In everyday life pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional - a by-product of poor choices. Get it? Want to argue the point? Your sense of worth or deserving shapes your life by creating tendencies. If you feel unworthy and undeserving, you tend to make destructive or limiting choices. Do you see why this is the first lesson?

At each and every crossroads you are free to choose the high road - by being kind to others, working hard, finding supportive partners, and following good role models. Or you may choose the low road - by burning your bridges, practicing addictive behaviors, or choosing destructive relationships. Your sense of self-worth tends to influence whether you choose to learn easy lessons or difficult ones, to strive or to struggle, to cave in to difficulties or rise above them. Such choices determine your educational and income level, your health habits - even your longevity. Those of us with a strong sense of self-worth are less likely to get caught up in self-destructive habits with addictions or other abberant behaviors..

There is a danger of studying self-worth from a distance - exploring the issue the way some people explore a territory from an airconditioned bus. Keeping a safe distance is more comfortable but far less useful than feeling its impact on your life right now. Remember that your sense of self-worth - of deservedness - is related to your perception of your relative goodness.

Self-worth is not a thing; it is a perception. The first step is to realize that you are not alone. We have all made mistakes as part of our life and growth. We have all said, thought, felt, and done things we regret. Our worth is not dependent upon being perfect. If we can stop judging our mistakes so harshly, we can also stop ourselves from reactively engaging in the negative behaviors.

The second realization is that no matter what your behavior, you have done the best you could every day of your life. You may not agree with this. So before we tackle that question, consider this principle in relation to your parents or other caregivers: Whether they were kind or abusive, they were doing the best they knew how in light of their own limitations, wounds, beliefs, fears, values, and anxieties. Their best may have been wonderful, or terrible, or somewhere in between. In the same way, even though you have certainly fallen short of your ideal many times and made mistakes, you have also done the very best you were capable of at the time.

Most of us have replayed in our minds an incident we wish we could do over. Maybe we could have done better on a job interview, an exam, or a performance. You cannot change past mistakes, but you can avoid repeating them. The past no longer exists except as a set of memories and impressions you keep alive in the present. By focusing on doing what you can do now - by reviewing your mistakes with eyes of compassion and asking for forgiveness - you do much to heal your fragmented sense of worth.

Trust the process. The next time you feel that something good can't last, remind yourself that evolution moves in an upward spiral and that life can, and usually does, get better over time. You live and learn, stumble and fall, fail and grow, expand, and progress.

Courage is not the towering oak that sees storms come and go; it is the fragile blossom that opens in the snow.

-Alice Mackenzie Swaim

Originally posted at Dynamics of Recovery and taken from my group Star Choices

[MajestyJo]

I found out that it was 'could' not necessarily 'would'! Lately my days are highly suspect!

[MajestyJo]

Work hard at what you like to do and try to overcome all obstacles

Laugh at your mistakes and praise yourself for learning from them

Pick some flowers and appreciate the beauty of nature

Say hello to strangers and enjoy the people you know

Don't be afraid to show your emotions laughing and crying make you feel better

Love your friends and family with your entire being they are the most important part of your life

Feel the calmness on a quiet sunny day

Find a rainbow and live your world of dreams always remember life is better than it seems.

[MajestyJo]

[MajestyJo]

Just a little late:

[MajestyJo]