Love is something if you give away, you end up having more. —Malvina Reynolds
The other side of giving is taking. Many of us were brought up to believe that it's not okay to take, so we diminish admiration that people give us. "Oh, this old rag, I got it at a garage sale for next to nothing." This response to a compliment can take away the joy of giving it from the person who admired the way we looked.
Giving needs taking to complete it. We can keep the cycle of generosity going by taking gracefully. A world without those who take would be unbalanced. When someone gives us love, appreciation, or a gift, we can show our real pleasure with a simple thank you, and stop thinking we don't deserve it.
Can I accept what's given to me today in the spirit it's offered?
From Today's Gift: Daily Meditations for Families ©
Bonus
On any journey, we must find out where we are before we can plan the first step. —Kathy Boevink
Our lives in all aspects are a journey toward a destination, one fitting to our purpose, our special gifts, our particular needs as women. Each day contributes to our journey, carrying us closer to our destination. However, we often take a circuitous route. We get stranded or waylaid by our selfish desires, by the intrusion of our controlling ego.
We can reflect on the progress we've made toward our destination, the steps we've taken that have unknowingly contributed to our journey. Our easiest steps have been the ones we took in partnership with God. It's in God's mind that our path is well marked.
We are just where we need to be today. The experiences that we meet are like points on the map of our journey. Some of them are rest stops. Others resemble high-speed straight-aways. The journey to our destination is not always smooth, but the more we let our Higher Power sit in the driver's seat, the easier will be our ride.
I will plan my journey today with my Higher Power's help, and my ride will be smooth.
From Each Day a New Beginning: Daily Meditations for Women by Karen Casey ©
He who can take advice is sometimes superior to he who can give it. ---Karl von Knebel
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, open my ears and eyes to this new way of life. Allow me to hear Your wisdom in the Twelve Steps. Allow me to be someone who takes advice, not just gives it.
The hardest thing I had to deal with in sobriety was my own anger
and the violence I lived through in my childhood.
I had forgiven those involved as best I could, but the mind seems never to forget.
I had gratefully received years of outside help because I was told
my drinking was only the symptom of deeper troubles.
Yet, despite the help of many professionals,
I know I would never have recovered from violence and alcoholism
without AA's Twelve Steps, which are uniquely tailored for people like me.
- Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 397
Thought to Ponder . . .
Anger is the wind that blows out the light of reason.
AA-related 'Alconym' . . .
A A = Avoid Anger.
Daily Motivation
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