The time of discipline began. Each of us the pupil of whichever one of us could best teach what each of us needed to learn.—Maria Isabel Barreno
"When the pupil is ready, the teacher appears." Life's lessons often come unexpectedly. They come, nevertheless, and they come according to a timeframe that is Divine. As we grow emotionally and spiritually, we are readied for further lessons for which teachers will appear. Perhaps the teacher will be a loving relationship, a difficult loss, or a truant child. The time of learning is seldom free from pain and questioning. But from these experiences and what they can teach us, we are ready to learn. As we are ready, they come.
We all enjoy the easy times when the sailing is smooth, when all is well, when we are feeling no pain. And these periods serve a purpose. They shore us up for the lessons which carry us to a stronger recovery, to a stronger sense of ourselves. To understand that all is well, throughout the learning process, is the basic lesson we need to learn. All is well. The teacher is the guide up the next rung of the ladder.
Let me be grateful for my lessons today and know that all is well.
From Each Day a New Beginning: Daily Meditations for Women by Karen Casey©
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Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Keep It Simple
Before the rain stops we hear a bird. Even under the heavy snow we see snowdrops and some new growth. —Shunryu Suzuki
The signals that new growth is underway are often very small at first. It's sometimes discouraging when we are trying to remake our lives and all we can see for our efforts is minor growth. That is how the natural world works, and we are part of this world. When the little sprouts of growth first develop under the snow in spring we don't even see them unless we search. Yet, they signal the beginnings of a total transformation. Time will bring vast changes, but only little signs are showing first.
Today, we may search for signs of progress in our lives. The little things we see may signal bigger transformations yet to come. To be true to them in the long run we must accept them - even welcome them - as they are today.
Action for the Day: I will notice the subtle movements toward health and renewal in my life. Welcoming them will encourage them.
Self-pity
Self-pity is one of the most unhappy and consuming defects that we know.
It is a bar to all spiritual progress
and can cut off all effective communication with our fellows
because of its inordinate demands for attention and sympathy.
It is a maudlin form of martyrdom, which we can ill afford.
- As Bill Sees It, p. 238
Thought to Ponder . . .
If I self-forget I find.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
W I S D O M = When Into Self, Discover Our Motives.
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Daily Motivation
The substance of success
Yes, it’s possible that you could fail, but that’s not a reason to avoid the effort. In fact, it’s a solid reason to go ahead and make the effort.
The only time there’s a possibility of real, meaningful success is when there’s also the possibility of failure. If it’s a foregone conclusion that something will happen, it’s not really an accomplishment when it does.
The substance of success is in getting through the challenges to make the difficult achievements happen. The bigger the challenges you face, the more valuable your success will be.
Instead of wishing for an easier task, see the immense value in the challenge that’s in front of you. You can figure out how to do it, and you can get it done, so get busy and do just that.
Every challenge, every difficult situation, is an opportunity to make a pivotal positive difference. Grab that opportunity every time it comes along, and you’ll create a great profusion of value in your world.
Relish the challenges, and find delight in your ability to navigate your way through them. With every twist and turn, you’re creating more substance of success.
— Ralph Marston
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