The world is a wheel always turning. Those who are high go down low, and those who've been low go up higher. —Anzia Yezierska
Everything changes. Nothing stays the same. And letting go of the way things are, anticipating instead what they might become, frees us to live each moment more fully.
Time marches on, and our destiny marches with it. There is purpose in how our lives unfold; the ups and downs serve our growth. We must neither resent the doldrums nor savor too long the elation. Giving too much attention to either state interferes with our awareness of the present. And the present has come to teach us.
We must move with time. We must focus our attention on the moment and accept whatever feelings each experience elicits. Emotional maturity is accepting our feelings and letting them go and facing instead the next moment with fresh receptivity. Our lessons are many, and they accompany the lows as well as the highs. We can be grateful for both.
The program has taught us freedom from lingering lows. It has given us the tools to move confidently forward, trusting that all is well. Nothing lasts forever, and within each struggle is the opportunity for real growth.
The highs will pass away, just as will the lows. They visit us purposefully. I will give them their freedom and find mine as well.
From Each Day a New Beginning: Daily Meditations for Women by Karen Casey©
No labor, however humble, is dishonoring.---The Talmud
Work is good for the heart. Work is good for our minds. It can give us something to focus on besides ourselves. Labor doesn't just mean having a job. It may mean planting a garden or helping a friend. It certainly means working our program. Hopefully, it's a labor of love. We can get into trouble if we have to much time on our hands. We can turn it into mischief or self-pity. We can get bored. Being bored is a matter of choice. We'll never be bored if we ask ourselves, "How can I make this world a better place?" We can turn our answers into action.
I don't think we can do anything very well in this world unless we practice it.
And I don't believe we do AA very well unless we practice it. . . .
We should practice . . . acquiring the spirit of service.
We should attempt to acquire some faith, which isn't easily done,
especially for the person who has always been very materialistic,
following the standards of society today.
But I think faith can be acquired; it can be acquired slowly; it has to be cultivated.
That was not easy for me, and I assume that it is difficult for everyone else.
- Dr. Bob and the Good Oldtimers, pp. 307-308
Thought to Ponder . . .
People of faith have a logical idea of what life is all about.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
F A I T H = Finding Answers In The Heart.
What you do, do with joy
If you’re going to be doing something, do it with joy. Even if it’s not normally a joyful activity, you can add your own unique joy to it.
You can always choose to be positive and enthusiastic about life. No person, circumstance, or sequence of events can keep you down.
If you constantly fight against what you’re doing, you’ll make yourself miserable and you’ll destroy your effectiveness. That’s certainly not an outcome you would willingly choose.
So choose instead to put your own unique joy into whatever you’re doing. Make the experience a positive one just because you can.
Yes, there are plenty of problems and tragedies and no, life is not always pleasant. That’s precisely why it’s so powerful and important for you to add as much joy as possible to life.
In every activity and in every tiny corner of your world, put a little extra joy. You’ll quickly find it makes a big, big difference.
— Ralph Marston
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