Today's Gift for Families - June 2014
 

Nothing is too small!

A lady from my church came to visit me many years ago. I had invited her for Boxing Day and fed her leftovers. She was a real dear, did a lot of service in the church and in the community even though she was 70 years old, very small and looked very fragile. Her strength came from within.

After dinner, she offered to dry the dishes. I said, "Don't worry, sit back and relax, God dries the dishes in this apartment." She smiled and said, "Don't you think you are depending on God just a little too much." I said, "No! He created the heaven and the earth, the air we breathe, and my dishes are air dried. I thank Him for His daily gifts to me, including the air I breathe. It is there, there are just some days, I breathe it better than others.

I will remember to take it. I will do as guided, lately it has been crtstals: rose quartz, clear crystal quarts, and Lapis Lazuli.

Lapis Lazuli is a crystal of truth in all aspects. It reveals inner truth, and promotes self-awareness and the acceptance of that knowledge. It provides for the relief of things that may have been suppressed and allows for them to surface, helping to diminish dis-ease or repressed anger, and allows for self-expression without holding back or compromising.

Housework is #1. It would be nice to be able to get a ride once in a while to a night meeting or just for a drive outside of town to see God's Creation, away from the steel, smog, and noise.

I always figured if you have enough for one, you can feed two. I call my friend Bert to see if he has an onion, a potato, etc. and he calls me if he is short, wants direction, or some information. Giving is a two way street. Asking for help and saying you don't know, doesn't mean failure.

I will not play God with their lives and tell them what to do.
I can share my experience, strength and hope with them and pray that some of what I said, was something that will help them along the way. I would not want to be so egotistical to think that my word is law and the almighty truth, it is but my truth.

EGO is easing God out, yet in truth, I am trying to replace Him, when I think and say, "This is how it is done."

For me it is my pain, although when I normally wake up, I have a few hours of reprieve and then it catches up to me over the day.

This morning I woke with it, and had trouble getting out of my bed. With some prayer, stretching, and my breakfast, it looks like I will make it through the day without using. If I am using it is anything, it is my computer to come here and share. Sharing with others helps me to take myself out of myself and my pain. Even if the pain is there, there seems to be an easing of the body, mind, and spirit.

Thank you for being a part of my recovery.

Anger has always been a danger to me. One time I was walking down the street with a sponsee. I don't remember what we were sharing, I just know that all of a sudden, my saliva tasted like it was pure alcohol, and I spit it out rather than swallow it. I talked to the counsellor at the YWCA who got me into recovery, and she said, "How did you handle alcohol in the past?" I replied, "I drank." She said that she saw it as a body memory and a warning, don't hold onto your anger, let it go. She introduced me to hitting pillows with a plastic baseball bat.

Laughing at myself for taking on what is not mine, when I knew better.

Being able to laugh at yourself is a real gift. Look up Tradition 4. It says, Do not take yourself so seriously.

My God put's people in my path, be it on the phone, on the internet, or in person. Today when I went downtown, and saw this short woman in front of me pushing a walker. It was a woman I use to sponsor, who didn't want to work the program, she didn't drink but continued on her medication. I generally speak to her if she wasn't stoned, but today I spoke before I saw what kind of shape she was in. Many times I have seen her and she didn't recognize me. She admitted to be back drinking alcohol. This is the lady who always asked me if I wanted her to say a prayer for me, when she went to mass. I told her I could always use a prayer, but not to worry, I had a direct line.

She needed to talk, so we blocked the aisle and people had to go around the two walkers. It was good for me, and hopefully for her.

This is why I have "I share because I care" below my signature.

With prayer, asking for the strength, courage, wisdom and guidance I need to go through what I need to go through. I must always remember that I am not alone and that this is a we program. You can't wear out the Serenity Prayer.

Really like the quote. My talent is God given. What ever I need to be in today, it will be given to me. If I don't have the talent to do something, I need to reach out and ask for help.

I like to be creative, and that is something I can do and be when I visit the site. I just finished a book that had miniature goats in it. The goat's milk was being used to make soap. We so often think we can't do, but we can often surprise ourselves, as to what we are capable of and what we can accomplish.

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/mammals-goats/0018.gif

How true the quote is. Worrying is a waste of energy. It means I haven't said my prayers and don't trust my God to answer them, especially in the way I would have Him fulfill them.

As I was told, my son has his own Higher Power and I wasn't it.

Find some gratitude. Look at what you do have, instead of what you don't have. Look at where you came from and where you got to as a result of your dis-ease.

By being gentle with myself. In Jamie Sam's Book the animal for being gentle with yourself is the Deer.

http://www.whats-your-sign.com/anima...lism-deer.html

That fears don't always materialize. Most of my thinking is on the past, instead of in living in today, and having trust in our Higher Power to not allow us to go back into the old fears and bring them into the present.

Under the fear, I can find faith in a God of my understanding.

My sponsor told me if you did not get difficult moments, you would not appreciate the good ones.

My last good moment was running into the woman in the library and still using. It has to be over 5 years since I saw her. I remembered her face not her name. I got the feeling I was to reach out to her and I did. I hope talking to me, helped her as much as it did me.