You
are reading from the book Today's Gift.
Our deeds will travel with us from afar, and what we have been makes us
what we are. --George Eliot
We grow within, the way a tree does. We've all seen the rings
representing the years of a tree's life. We carry our histories with
us, too. Our actions, our attitudes, our goals, and our dreams all
gather together inside us to make us what we are today. We're probably
ashamed of some of our past, but our behavior each day adds to our
history, and we control it.
We can't escape our mistakes, but we don't have to repeat them; and
every day that is lived well gives us a history to be proud of.
How can I add goodness to my past--and my future--by my actions today?
You are reading from the book Touchstones.
The newest computer can merely compound, at speed, the oldest problem
in relations between human beings, and in the end the communicator will
be confronted with the old problem, of what to say and how to say
it.
--Edward R. Murrow
We may reduce our difficulties with others to communication problems,
yet the remedy may remain unclear. How can we become more responsible
for our share of the communication? Can we stop blaming others? When we
improve in those ways, our relationships get better.
Clear, specific, and direct language will help us be more responsible
and less blaming. We can use simple words that expose the truth rather
than words that hide or sugarcoat it. We can use specific examples and
give details rather than generalities or hints. We can be more direct
by using you and me language. In the process, we yield to the truth
within ourselves - and become more honest.
Today, I will be aware of communicating clearly, specifically, and
directly.
You are reading from the book Each Day a New Beginning.
We tend to think of the rational as a higher order, but it is the
emotional that marks our lives. One often learns more from ten days of
agony than from ten years of contentment. --Merle Shain
Pain stretches us. It pushes us toward others. It encourages us to
pray. It invites us to rely on many resources, particularly those
within.
We develop our character while handling painful times. Pain offers
wisdom. It prepares us to help other women whose experiences repeat our
own. Our own pain offers us the stories that help another who is lost
and needs our guidance.
When we reflect on our past for a moment, we can recall the pain we
felt last month or last year; the pain of a lost love, or the pain of
no job and many bills; perhaps the pain of children leaving home, or
the death of a near and dear friend. It might have seemed to us that we
couldn't cope. But we did, somehow, and it felt good. Coping
strengthened us.
What we forget, even now, is that we need never experience a painful
time alone. The agony that accompanies a wrenching situation is
dissipated as quickly and as silently as the entrance of our higher
power, when called upon.
I long for contentment. And I deserve those times. But without life's
pain I would fail to recognize the value of contentment.
You are reading from the book The Language of Letting Go.
Letting Go of Fear
Fear is at the core of codependency. It can motivate us to control
situations or neglect ourselves.
Many of us have been afraid for so long that we don't label our
feelings fear. We're used to feeling upset and anxious. It feels normal.
Peace and serenity may be uncomfortable.
At one time, fear may have been appropriate and useful. We may have
relied on fear to protect ourselves, much the way soldiers in a war
rely on fear to help them survive. But now, in recovery, we're living
life differently.
Its time to thank our old fears for helping us survive, then wave good
bye to them. Welcome peace, trust, acceptance, and safety. We don't
need that much fear anymore. We can listen to our healthy fears, and
let go of the rest.
We can create a feeling of safety for ourselves, now. We are safe, now.
We've made a commitment to take care of ourselves. We can trust and
love ourselves.
God, help me let go of my need to be afraid. Replace it with a need to
be at peace. Help me listen to my healthy fears and relinquish the rest.
Today I choose to accept live on life's terms...all of it. I am open to
all I see, hear, think and feeling the moment, without resistance. I am
opening to be fully alive and enjoying the adventure. --Ruth
Fishel