Monday, July 19, 2009
Today's Gift
Gratitude is a way of life.
Saying thank you from the heart makes us feel full. Perhaps we don't really know we have something until we express our thanks for it.
There are different levels of gratitude. There is the polite, automatic response when someone opens a door for us or the bank teller tells us to have a nice day. Simple, almost perfunctory, these acts of courtesy nevertheless add an element of grace to our daily transactions.
On a more personal level, saying thank you often and sincerely to those we love keeps us from taking each other for granted. We all like to feel appreciated - how many relationships dry up because the people involved don't realize what they have?
Then there is the gratitude we feel toward the God of our understanding, the source of all the blessings we enjoy but do not create for ourselves. This thankfulness can be a part of every breath we take. As often as we remember the many gifts of every day, our emptiness is filled.
Today, I will replenish my supply of gratitude.
Saying thank you from the heart makes us feel full. Perhaps we don't really know we have something until we express our thanks for it.
There are different levels of gratitude. There is the polite, automatic response when someone opens a door for us or the bank teller tells us to have a nice day. Simple, almost perfunctory, these acts of courtesy nevertheless add an element of grace to our daily transactions.
On a more personal level, saying thank you often and sincerely to those we love keeps us from taking each other for granted. We all like to feel appreciated - how many relationships dry up because the people involved don't realize what they have?
Then there is the gratitude we feel toward the God of our understanding, the source of all the blessings we enjoy but do not create for ourselves. This thankfulness can be a part of every breath we take. As often as we remember the many gifts of every day, our emptiness is filled.
Today, I will replenish my supply of gratitude.
You are reading from the book:
***************************
Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Walk In Dry Places
Practicing Serenity.
Practicing Serenity.
Hurrying up to wait?
We often urge ourselves to hurry up when there's no good reason for it. At such times, all we really do is create needless tension and anxiety. The slogan "EASY DOES IT" is our answer to such calls to hurry. The slogan suggests that we simply move into the rhythms of life and "go with the flow."
We often urge ourselves to hurry up when there's no good reason for it. At such times, all we really do is create needless tension and anxiety. The slogan "EASY DOES IT" is our answer to such calls to hurry. The slogan suggests that we simply move into the rhythms of life and "go with the flow."
It's not hurrying but steady effort that finally brings achievement. We've had entirely too much hurry and impatience. What we really need is confident, persistent effort in the right direction. We should be especially reminded of hits when we see anxious, impatient people speeding through traffic only to be forced to wait at traffic lights, risking life and limb to save a few seconds. A good seady pace is what we need, and it will win the game.
Action for the Day: I"ll be active today, but not overactive. I'll look for rhythm and efficiency in everything I do.
***********************
One Day At A Time
Perfection
I never have been and never can be perfect.
As that realization became a part of me, it brought me
one of the greatest of the many blessings that have come to me from AA.
I learned to accept myself as a fallible human being. Mistakes are permissible. . .
And what a comfort that thought is to me, as I make my bemused way through life,
one foot in a bucket, pushing on doors marked "Pull."
~ The Best of the Grapevine [Vol. 2], pp. 167-68
Thought to Ponder . . .
Give me the courage to be imperfect.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
H O W = Honesty, Open-mindedness, Willingness.
I never have been and never can be perfect.
As that realization became a part of me, it brought me
one of the greatest of the many blessings that have come to me from AA.
I learned to accept myself as a fallible human being. Mistakes are permissible. . .
And what a comfort that thought is to me, as I make my bemused way through life,
one foot in a bucket, pushing on doors marked "Pull."
~ The Best of the Grapevine [Vol. 2], pp. 167-68
Thought to Ponder . . .
Give me the courage to be imperfect.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
H O W = Honesty, Open-mindedness, Willingness.
********************
Daily Motivation
Daily Motivation
A brand new moment
Allow, experience, and let go. The goodness and value continue to flow.
Think, feel, and do. Your most authentic and consistent intentions become real.
Love, care, and give. What you send, comes back and finds you, again and again.
The world is complex and yet the truth is pure and simple. Life is the way you most honestly choose to express it.
The tricks and shortcuts will not get you ahead because you already are ahead. Simply realize the limitless nature of what you can accomplish and then you'll begin to make it happen.
Face the challenges and take in the exquisite beauty of being. All is well, and a brand new moment, filled with possibilities, now is here.
-- Ralph Marston
No comments:
Post a Comment