Life's Happenin'

I'm finding that as time goes on and life gets happenin', it's easier and easier to fall out of the habit of posting. Life's been good, though. Work is going well, been keeping up with my folks pretty regularly, and Cupcake and I are getting on better than we ever have. She and I are actually spending more quality, enjoyable time together. Whether it be at home watching a movie, hiking through a swamp, or having a spectacular dinner at historic Pascal's Manale. We even talk more. ...And she made me cheesy mashed potatoes tonight.

Haven't heard from my old sponsor in forever. Not making assumptions, but I know the fact is that I'll need to get another ASAP. Been courting someone I've known for a while to fill that role. We just need to find a good time to meet that matches our schedules.

So there ya have it... Still alive and still truckin'. And about to stretch out in bed. I'll leave ya with the passage from Today's Gift. Goodnight and God bless!

A crow dying of thirst came upon a pitcher that had once been full of water. He shoved his beak into the pitcher and discovered that there was very little water left. But he was determined to get it.

Time and again he thrust his beak into the pitcher, but could not reach the water. He was about to drop dead from both thirst and despair when he spotted a pile of pebbles nearby.

The crow picked up one in his beak, and dropped it into the pitcher. He took another and did the same. Each time he dropped a pebble into the pitcher, he noticed that the water level rose slightly. Energized by this discovery, he continued his efforts until the water level rose to where he could reach it.

Then the crow drank the water, which saved his life.

The moral of the story: Small actions can have big results.

Recovery is a process that involves taking small steps, but sometimes progress is hard to see. At such time, take heart. Resist the temptation to give up. Instead, trust that your steady and dedicated effort is taking you ever closer to your goal.

Creative Forces

Being alive is being creative. You need do nothing but affirm your aliveness. —Gay Bonner

What does it mean to be alive? Does it mean merely breathing, eating, and moving around, or is there more to it? Being alive can mean different things to different people. To some, it's sewing a baby quilt for a new life about to be born. To others, it's singing, or walking, or running. Still others find it in the exhilaration of skiing, or the tropical splendor they find when scuba diving.

Each of us has our own favorite activity that lets us feel our creativity and vitality, that lets us feel a part of the larger world. Two gifts these activities leave us with are joy and energy. Joy is one of the most creative forces we can call on, and energy gives us the power to do it well.

I so love the message from Today's Gift! It resonates so loudly for me because I consider myself a creative person and find great joy in those pursuits. Whether I'm sketching, doing photography, outdoor activities, or cooking (among other things)... I find myself centered and serene.


Self-worth and healthy pride flow from doing something that you do well and truly enjoy. As far I'm concerned, walking around the French Quarter with a camera or painting a basement with your dad is some of the best therapy you can get. And it's free.


Goodnight!

Burial mound outside Helen, GA

The Other Shoe

Bad moments, like good ones, tend to be grouped together. —Edna O'Brien

Once in a while, we have days when we think the whole world is against us. A parent has reprimanded us, a brother broke our new game, or the teacher at school disciplined the whole class. We sometimes let our thoughts center on a cluster of bad moments and forget the good moments of the day.

We shouldn't forget about the two ducks we fed part of our sandwich to, the friend who made us laugh, or the gym teacher who praised the whole class. Deciding to think about these good moments can allow our spirits to rise and make the bad moments fade away.

After all, if life were all good moments, we would take them for granted. Let us accept the bad ones gratefully, then, as opportunities to appreciate the good.

It's pretty hard to have a day full of good feelings come crashing down because of one bad thing. It could be from a piece of bad news, an unexpected change in the schedule, or just that rude person you had to deal with at work.

Some of us too easily fixate on the negative because it seems to have the most impact on us. It sticks with us longer. Things are going well so we wait for the other shoe to drop.

Fixation on the negative is the destroyer of serenity. For so long that low was the norm, and we weren't sure how to function when things were going well. Some of us even resort to sabotage in a sick attempt to prevent disappointment.

Kinda went off in a slightly different direction there... It's where my thoughts took me tho.

Goodnight!

Hello Again...

Whoa! Has it really been that long since my last post?! I have no excuses. Sure, we had a wonderful, whirlwind vacation. It took a few days to settle back in. The Greek economy is in crisis....

In reality, I've had plenty of opportunities to catch up on the blog. Unfortunately, I allowed my old acquaintance, Procrastination, to have a say in the scheduling.

Once again, the vacation was awesome. I got to spend some time bonding with the ones I love, made some new friends, and got to catch up with some old ones. I got to make a couple of those mountain meetings I love so much. I even got to share my favorite meeting in the world with Cupcake (it was open).

One of the things I miss from being back home is attending the Cornerstone Church services. I suppose YouTube is the next best thing.... Here's this week's sermon.

And here's the thought from Today's Gift...

Let the gentle bush dig its root deep and spread upward to split one boulder. —Carl Sandburg

There is a fable about the sun and wind having a contest to see who can get the old man to take his coat off first. The wind blows fiercely, but the old man just pulls his coat tighter around him. Finally, the wind gives up and the sun comes out. The sun shines a steady warm light down on the old man, who soon takes his coat off.

More and better things are accomplished in this world by kindness and gentleness than by force. When we find ourselves most frustrated, it is often because we are trying to force certain things to happen. Our own patient and steady desire to grow, fed by the love and kindness of others, will not be stopped by anything or anyone. Our own gentleness is a powerful force in our lives. It is like the gentle bush that grows through granite.

Time for bed and then another long day at work. Hope you have a great night and a blessed day tomorrow!

Cornerstone Church Podcast, Norman Vaughan, and Today's Gift

Couldn't find the YouTube posting for Sunday's Cornerstone service, but I did find the podcast. What's really awesome is that I'll get to see it live this Sunday! I've only been to one service and that was the first in the "Old Habits Die Hard" series. Very excited to go again with my bro and his fam. And it'll be Sarah's first time going.

The Book of James – Part 7 of 7

The motto of the late, great adventurer Colonel Norman Vaughan was, "Dream big and dare to fail." He's a personal hero and I thought of him immediately when I read the entry in Today's Gift...

The only people who never fail are those who never try. —Ilka Chase

A boy once asked his grandfather how he had become so happy and successful in his life. "Right decisions," replied his grandfather. The boy thought for a while and then asked a second question, "But how do you learn to make right decisions?" The grandfather answered quickly with a twinkle in his eye, "Wrong decisions!" We, too, will learn from our "wrong decisions," our mistakes. Whenever we try anything, there is always the possibility of failure. We must learn to not let this keep us from trying. When we are willing to try, we have already conquered our fear. We can grow no matter what the outcome is.

Here's an interview with the Colonel from a documentary that came out a good while back. Very inspiring stuff.

Well. I have to say that I am very happy with what I've read and seen tonight. Today was great too. Got alot accomplished with Cupcake in preparation for our trip. Still have to get through two more days of work, however. No worries... Goodnight!

Happy Memorial Day!

Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not. —Ralph Waldo Emerson

The little rabbit stood alone, watching her family and friends hop and skip about her in the forest, playing her favorite rabbit game. Try as she might, each time she attempted to join in, she tripped about awkwardly. When this happened, the other rabbits laughed uproariously at her and called her "Grace." Soon even she forgot her real name. But in the moments when Grace was alone, she danced around the trees with ease. She was as smooth and graceful as any ballerina. An old owl sat high above her one night, watching her intently. The moonlight streamed through the treetops like a soft spotlight and he sat and watched as little Grace moved in and out of the moonbeams. Finally he said, "Grace, you are more graceful than any creature I've ever seen." Grace was startled that someone had been watching her, but listened carefully to the wise owl's words as he continued. "You have carried this beauty within you all the time, but locked it inside when you tried too hard." If we remember to relax and trust in ourselves, we, too, will discover that we are able.

What a lovely message from Today's Gift! (Pretty sure that owl would"ve eaten the rabbit, tho...)

We had a great Memorial Day. Some of us hung out by a friend's pool. It was a really good time and I'm glad I was off to make it out. We must remember, however, that this day was set aside to honor our country's fallen heroes.

Click the link to go to the PBS Memorial Day Concert page.

Given the nature of this blog,
I wasn't sure how appropriate
it would be to add a pic of everyone.
Just picture alot of people doing this... ;)

The Caterpillar and the Tunnel

If your life is ever going to get better, you'll have to take risks. There is simply no way you can grow without taking chances. —David Viscott

One sunny day a caterpillar who was afraid of the dark came to a tunnel, which lay squarely in its path. It had a choice of going back where it started, or summoning the courage to crawl into the darkness. "What shall I do?" wondered the caterpillar. "If I go back home, I won't get where I want to go, but I'm so afraid!"

Just then, a voice called out from the tunnel. "I can hear you, Mr. Caterpillar. I am Mr. Beetle. I am here in the tunnel and I can see the other end. If you come through, you won't lose your fear of the dark, but you will get where you want to go."

We are all like the caterpillar once in a while. But if we let our fear stop us from doing things, which are necessary to our growth, we will never realize what courage we really have.

Wow. I am really starting to dig the daily passages from Today's Gift-Family Meditations! Some are like little fables. All apply to almost everyone. I think I'll start sharing these more often. They're a little more uplifting than the other daily thought books... in my opinion.

Well. I got two days off, two more work days, then vacation! I'm praying for a nice, laid back time with Cupcake and my family (who I rarely get to see). Very excited about that! Plus some good ole fashioned mountain meetings... Woot!

That caterpillar story reminded me of a Cure song. Not incredibly related to one another. Just made me think of it.

Good night and God Bless!

The Cure - The Caterpillarfound onUncategorized

The 10 Minute Chip

Something else I got from my meeting today was a "Chew On It" chip. Didn't know those existed. They also call it a "10 Minute Chip". It has the serenity prayer etched on it. I picked one up during my share. I figured I needed it to remind me to live in the now. To chew on it (not literally... no telling how many people have touched it... Ha) when things start getting a bit heavy to carry.

Tonight I pulled it out and prayed. It actually helped.

Work went well. Talked to my sponsor on my dinner break. We decided that we would go over the rest of my written work and do my 5th step Wed. Very much looking forward to that. The other night when I told him I've been practicing mini-4th Steps, he told me I was 10th Stepping. I looked at him oddly, but he assured me it was a good thing.

Here's the day's thought from the book Today's Gift. I really enjoyed this passage.

"There's a person inside each of us just itching to be known and loved. But if we don't get to know and love that person, how can we expect anyone else to know us?

That's why it's so important to spend time alone getting acquainted with ourselves. And how do we do that? We can sit quietly with ourselves, thinking and listening. Then we can write our thoughts in a journal, or we can draw or paint them. If we play a musical instrument, we can put our thoughts and feelings into music.

When we make the time and effort to know ourselves, it encourages others to want to know us, too. Since everything we do and feel begins inside us, we must feel good about ourselves in order to feel good about anything else. What wonders we are, that we have all the power we need to make our world a happy one!

How do I feel about myself today?"

I feel good. ;)

Goodnight, world.