DAILY GRATITUDE - AN ACTION WORD

[MajestyJo]

[MajestyJo]

Don't just think thank you say it. Don't just say I am grateful, act it.

[MajestyJo]

A grateful alcoholic/addict will never have a reason to pick up!

Just for today, I am grateful that I am clean and sober!



When I take time for gratitude, I perceive a better world. Today I will appreciate the miracles all around me.

"Even the darkest of moments can be faced with a grateful heart, if not for the crisis itself, at least to the growth it can evoke with the help of our Higher Power."

... In All Our Affairs

This describes my days all too often, one of emotions, processed and lessons learned.

Feeling like it is a new chapter, a new verse, and another new beginning. So many gifts over the years, too many to possibly count.

When I have an attitude of gratitude, I express it by sharing those gifts with others.

How do we put it in the Light? Say, "Father-Mother-God, I ask for the Light to surround me now, and this idea of being of service. You know what I can do. I'll just let it go. It's in your hands."

- John-Roger
(From: "John-Roger on the Spiritual Promise,"

[MajestyJo]

Gratitude is something I shared with a friend tonight. Would you believe the last time I talked to her was about 40 years ago. Her daughter phoned me several months ago, closer to a year ago and I thought I had written her number on an envelope and it gotten thrown out, and I couldn't find it. The daughter's number was a business number and it got deleted from my phone and she had called at a time when I was not well. I told myself to just accept it, it wasn't meant to be.

Today, I was looking for a paper with a password for my computer for John and didn't find it, but I found a notebook with my friend Marilyn's phone number on it. We talked for an hour and a half. We hope to meet for lunch next week. She is a couple of years younger than I am. She informed me has shrunk and is only 4' 9" so we will be like two strangers when we meet, and yet when we started talking, it was like it was yesterday. When my son was born, I left the hospital and went to her place. I had no experience with children, and she had two children. The last time she saw my son he was 8 years old and today he is 48.

So when I got that number, I should have picked up the phone and called instead of thinking of calling later, or just maybe, it was meant to happen today. Nothing happens in God's world by mistake. Today it felt right.

[india]

so very VERY grateful that I don't have to get up, shake my head "clear" and run down my stairwell, into my garage all the while making bargains with God about never drinking again "if only"....and running into the garage to check the grille on my car to see if there is skin and hair on it, afraid I may have hit and/or killed someone in a blackout. grateful that I awakened on the right side of the snow this morning... and that my husband surprised me with some pumpkin muffins to go with my coffee...that my children are safe, warm and alive in their own homes, and lastly that I am allowed to live yet another day to practice these principles in all my affairs and pray for the alcoholic/addict that still suffers.

[MajestyJo]

Not having a computer would have been a good reason to go out and used, and I had to take a look at my days to see if I had become obsessive compulsive about anything during the weekend and whether I had done anything that I wouldn't normally have done, and whether there was anything that I had to turn over to my God and ask for help on.

The only thing I could find was that I had done a lot of was reading, mainly because there was nothing much good on TV. There was curling and I did watch that. There were some Christmas specials and I watched them and looking forward to the upcoming shows from now until Christmas. I really enjoyed the reruns of Iron Chef America yesterday Iron Chef is why I subscribed to the Food Network many years ago.

I did make peanut butter cookies, so that was a filler but that was a good thing. It was even a better thing because I didn't eat more than 6 when I made them. LOL!!!! They made for a good breakfast this morning too. It has to be close to 3 years since I made cookies if not longer.

Oh, did I mention reading. Since my computer has been down I have read three Preston & Child books (two were re-reads), and an Amanda Quick express book. I have another P & C book to read. They were large print so they don't take long, and re-reads only take half as long. Now I am going to take a trip downtown to get some exercise and return them all and hope there aren't any more express books because I have over 15 books still to read. Snow is suppose to be on the way, so need to make sure I am stocked up.

So grateful to have you in our family India. Thank you for sharing. Thank you for your kinds words. I like the closing words in the Big Book on page 164, and may your visions come true for you.

[Rockinbigdaddy]

t Christmas time, I always want to give and give and give--yet my finances rarely allow me to give as abundantly as I would like. That's okay by me--things are as they are--but sometimes I do like to think about the things that I would give if I could. Interestingly enough, most of the gifts end up not having anything to do with money at all.

If I were able to do so, the first Christmas gift that I would give would be to my students--and to every person on the planet, young and old. I would give them the desire to learn, and the ability to recognize the learning opportunities that come to them each day of their lives. Our lives are rich and full the more we know about life and living. It doesn't need to be academic learning, as life has plenty to know about that has nothing to do with school, but it sure doesn't hurt to have the desire to pick up a book now and then, and to actually do so.

To the leaders of the world, I would give a spirit of service, and the ability to accurately gauge the needs and desires of their constituents, not their parties.

To the teachers of the world, I would give them the gift of lower levels of stress brought on by the unrealistic expectations of administrators, politicians, and parents, most of whom know nothing of the dynamics of the classroom, but who insist on trying to control elements of the classroom.

To people who have experienced great loss, I would give the gift of acceptance of the situation. Acceptance doesn't try to change anything, but it's really the only element of our lives that allows us to move on with peace in our minds and hearts.

To the parents of the world, I would give the ability to share time with their children, an element of life that grows less and less common in our world with each day.

To our country's economy, I would give the gift of no more lotteries or casinos or other ways to squander money that could be going towards our communities, but that is instead going to create huge profits for very few people.

To the lonely and dispossessed of the world, I would give the gift of friendship, as well as the gift of being able to be a friend, with love and acceptance as the major elements of any friendship that they may have.

To all I would give the gift of peace--peace of mind and of heart, a peace that does pass understanding, as true peace has no need to be understood, but just experienced and enjoyed and cultivated and loved.

To the people who work extremely hard for minimum wage, I would give a raise to a livable wage, along with health benefits to take much of the stress out of their lives, the stress of worrying about what might happen in the future.

To the young people of the world today, I would give them the gift of attention from their elders--complete and unconditional attention, with no Internet or cell phones involved at all.

Also to the young people, I'd give them the gift of bicycles and basketballs, and not the gift of another electronic device that will keep them from experiencing the world around them while they sit indoors staring at a screen.

And during this holiday season, I would like to give everyone the gift of a simple smile, of encouragement, of a compliment now and then. And I think that I will do so, as much as I can, when I can and where I can. This is a gift that is completely free for me to give, and one that can have long-reaching effects in very positive ways. And as long as I have the ability to give such a gift available to me at absolutely no cost, what's keeping me from sharing it?

[MajestyJo]

Thank you Life. We take so much for granted. Really like the concept of this.

http://www.animated-gifs.eu/christmas-uk/90.gif

[MajestyJo]

HOW MUCH WOULD WE BE MISSING IN OUR LIFE?

[MajestyJo]

Thanksgiving in Hard Times


We are moving toward our Nation's "Thanksgiving Day."
We are Americans by birth and by adoption . . . by citizenship and by gift of place . . .

And, at the same time, we are the people of the earth,
people whose lives are blessed with love and hope
as well as those whose days are shadowed by darkness and despair.

We are young and old, skin of black and brown and yellow and red and no color worth mentioning.
Our languages are English and Spanish and Arabic . . .
Russian and Urdu and Swahili and Farsi and Sign . . .

We are women and men . . . boys and girls . . . hearing and deaf . . . sighted and blind . . . We are gay and straight and transsexual and those for whom sexual
identity is a faint memory . . . We are lovers of pets and children and ourselves, and we are humans
whose store of love is hard to find.

We are celebrators and grievers, runners and hikers and complex weavers of life. We are artists and poets and writers and dancers, and we are those whose creativity is blocked or exhausted . . .

And, with people north and south, west and east,
we are all saying "thank you" We are recalling reasons to be grateful because to do otherwise would surrender to life's pain.

We are gardeners and teachers and library keepers . . .
We are parents and children, brothers and sisters, cousins and aunts and uncles too . . . We are widows and newlyweds . . . lovers and alone . . . We are office workers and health care providers . . . We are creators who love what we do and employees who long to set our mundane jobs aside . . . We are those for whom productive life is just beginning and those whose
memories are mixed up inside .

And we, with people around the world, we are saying "thank you" because gratitude is what WE need most this day. We are doves setting forth from the humanity's fragile ark in search of peace. We are bears longing to hibernate and make the world go away.
We are pacifists and soldiers, Democrats and Republicans . . . Theists and pagans, Buddhists and Christians, humanists and atheists and a whole bunch of us who are spiritually confused.

We are gathered here in the hope of Thanksgiving.
We are gathered in the gratitude of Grace.

May the Spirit of Life and Healing be with us all this day . . .

Comforting all for whom this season is one of loss and pain . . . Honoring those who step forward to protect, or rescue, or serve in their country's name .

Tickling those who need reminders that, even in the midst of tragedy and confusion,

There will be bubbles of joy and those are okay.

May we believe always that Life does hold blessings for each one of us to take, At all times, in all ways, may "thank you" be the language of our days.

An old post from another site made on Nov. 4 2004

[MajestyJo]

Gratitude is an action word, and we do have freedom of choice.

[ljportelli]

Mornin' Majesty!

Wow, yes!! It's a huge action word. I love how gratitude works on and in us. It's the God of my own understanding helping keep my heart soft and supple. Gratitude informs my recovery. Now, I haven't really ever thought of gratitude in an action context. It's super intriguing, and I'll be taking it up in my meditations.

Today I am so very thankful for every single one of my senses, for they give me full access to all that is. I get to plug into eternity . That is so far out! I get to live in a 3-D & HD environment 24/7.

I get to see everything around me down to the most infinitesimally small detail. So many times when I'm rushed, I miss all of that, and it makes me sad. I try to take time every day to take a few minutes and appreciate the joy my vision affords me.

I get to taste every single thing I eat and extract the last bit of flavour. And I get to enjoy the sense of satisfaction that comes from a full belly. When I consider all of the poverty around the world, I have so much to be grateful for. I'm a foody, and really - I mean really - get into eating. My family teases me relentlessly about it.

I can feel! Ohmygosh! What would I do without the sense of touch ? I'm human. I crave touch. It's a basic need. It tames me.

Hearing ! Glorious hearing! Bird song, kids Laughing, jets taking off, people singing acapella music, the wind blowing. And multitudes more.

Smell - fresh baked bread, Himalayan coffee, steak of the grill, gardenias, fresh strawberries, pot of chilli, aftershave.

And then - the 6th sense - Intuition. The Spirit of God . This is one of many direct connections with my UP. It's one of the main ways we work together, and it's a cosmic experience! There is NO mistake when my HP comes through in this way. It's a total rush, for it gives me more proof of my higher power's existence.

Gotta wrap up. THANK YOU so much for this comprehensive site where we can come for rich and delicious spiritual sustainance! NOM NOM

[lcount]

Thank you for your post. Many of us have a daily struggle with health and disability of one type or another. So often this is not talked about in my meetings; perhaps it is seen as not directly related to alcoholism, perhaps even whining. But it had everything in the world to do with my using. I came home from work in raging pain and the bottle seemed to ease it and to help me get to sleep at night. But then one day it turned on me; it did not work any longer.

Thank you for your post. It helps to know that others are succeeding in staying sober with things we used to medicate, just to make it through another day or night. And now there are alternatives. I am grateful for people like you who post just what I need to hear. You are truly a conduit of God's message!

[lcount]

Ooops, my reply went to the wrong post. It was the one about being thankful for the dr., having a lot to talk about, etc. Love, LCount

[MajestyJo]

Thank you both for sharing. I have found that when we acknowledge things, the process of change begins. The 5 As of Change: Aware, Admit, Acceptance, Attitude and Action. Sometimes I have to take action to change my attitude.

-Your attitude decides whether you are happy or not. You can change your attitude.

-Happiness is a state of mind. More correctly put, it is the state beyond the mind.

-It is our attitude that makes us feel happy or unhappy.

-Your thoughts and worries hide away your happiness.

-If you smile while you talk, you make people happy.

-A calm and detached mind is the gate to true happiness.

-Happiness is experienced after a problem has been solved, a fear has disappeared or after realizing a desire. At this moment the mind is released from it fears, worries and desires and becomes quiet, letting the happiness emerge.

-Look at the happy side of life, and you will develop the happiness habit.

-Learn to laugh. This will make you feel better.

-Focusing your mind on everything that you, do increases your control over your mind, which makes it easier for the inner joy to manifest.

-Your inner nature is bliss and joy. Clean your mind and you will find this treaure within you.

-When you wake up from deep sleep you feel happy. This is because the mind was quiet. If you are able to make your mind quiet in your waking hours you will experience happiness.

received with thanks from Inspiration Plus