Daily Motivation 11-4-11

Friday, November 4, 2011

Today's Gift

 

The wings of angels are often found on the backs of the least likely people. ~Eric Honeycutt

 

Angels Are Everywhere

 

I never believed in angels. Now I do. I think of angels as people who do nice things for us without expecting much in return. They give for the love of giving. They seek out opportunities to help, even when it seems inconvenient. They don't always look like we expect them to look or smell like we think they should. Their beliefs aren't always aligned with ours. But when we need them, they are there.

 

One of the first times I really understood their concept was when I drove to New York from Las Vegas in 1982. There I was, thrust into a big world I had never known except in geography schoolbooks. I was terrified but willing to make the drive. This cross-country trip was to become a metaphor for the bigger journey in my life.

 

Angels were everywhere. I met them in gas stations and rest stops, on the highway, in hotels, at restaurants, and at every meeting place I stopped along the way. From Flagstaff, Arizona to Albuquerque, New Mexico; from Joplin, Missouri to Chicago, Illinois and then on to New York. Their support was unfailing. Because of them, I got from one city to another. Because of them, I completed my journey. My job was simply to show up; they did the rest.

 

When was the last time you recognized an angel? Perhaps they let your car pass into the next lane without giving you a dirty look. Perhaps they offered to assist you when you were overloaded with bags. Perhaps they gave you their seat on the subway or the bus. Maybe they gave you a gift they knew you'd like.

 

Perhaps they loaned you some money, bought clothes or toys for your kids when you couldn't, or just lent a helping hand in whatever way they could. Or maybe it was a friend who just stopped in the middle of a busy workday to take your call or meet with you for coffee or lunch. An angel can be someone you know or someone you meet in passing. Angels enhance your life, if even for a moment.

 

You're invited to recognize and acknowledge the angels in your life, people who have contributed to your life in big and small ways.

 

From the book 52 Weeks of Esteemable Acts by Francine Ward

 

 

 

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Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Keep It Simple

Each day comes bearing its gifts. Untie the ribbons.
---Ruth Ann Schabacker

How full life can be! We can untie the ribbons on this gift by keeping our spirits open.
Open to life. Open to how much our Higher Power love us.
Who knows what the gifts the day may bring? Maybe it brings a solution to a problem.
Maybe it brings the smile of a child. Maybe we’ll find a new friend. Whatever gifts the day brings, we must be able to receive them. How do we do this? We keep our spirit open and lively through prayer and meditation. Then we’ll be awake to see the beauty and the wonders life holds for us.

Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, remind me to pray to You often. Remind me to stop and listen to You. Remind me that You love me very much.

Action for the Day: At the end of the day, I’ll take time to list the gifts I’ve been given today. This will be first on my list: I am sober.

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One Day At A Time

 

Acceptance
And acceptance is the answer to all my problems today.
When I am disturbed, it is because I find some person, place, thing,
or situation -- some fact of my life -- unacceptable to me,
and I can find no serenity until I accept that person, place, thing,
or situation as exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment.
Nothing, absolutely nothing, happens in God's world by mistake.
Until I could accept my alcoholism/addiction, I could not stay sober;
unless I accept life completely on life's terms, I cannot be happy.
I need to concentrate not so much on what needs to be changed in the world
as on what needs to be changed in me and my attitudes.
Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 417

Thought to Ponder . . .
Life will take on new meaning.

AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
A A = Altered Attitudes.

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Daily Motivation

Embrace your efforts

You can choose to do it or you can choose not to do it. Once you choose to do it, however, give your very best to the effort.

A halfhearted attempt can often be worse than no attempt at all. If you cannot be authentically enthusiastic about what you’re doing, consider doing something else.

Your life and your time are precious. Spend them on what truly matters.

Don’t put yourself in a position where you are complaining constantly about what you’re doing. Either find a way to get fully behind your efforts, or change what those efforts are.

If you’re tempted to feel resentment for what you must do, remember this. Resentment only makes it worse, and serves no useful purpose.

Embrace your efforts, and you make them highly effective. Embrace your efforts, and those efforts will bring the fulfillment you seek.

— Ralph Marston