Category Archives: change

How Far I’ve Come

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Well, I’m on my way! I’m operating on about four hours’ sleep, but that’s part of the adventure! The 5:50 a.m. flight departing from Prescott Regional Airport went without a hitch. It was nice to be at a small airport again, reminiscent of the days when my private pilot friend and I would fly from Islip, Long Island, NY to have dinner in Nantucket, RI; venture down to the Bahamas and explore cays that were not accessible to visitors flying commercially; and a host of other adventures (or mishaps as the case may be). Here I now sit in Denver International Airport waiting for the next puddle jumper—well, not really—flight to my final destination, Grand Junction. There awaits a week of fun and connection with my dearest friend, Esther, and her wife. We plan to go tube kayaking on the Colorado River; meet with their numerous friends; attend a CSL Sunday service; play Mexican Train; celebrate my birthday; and, most unexpectedly, go house hunting! … which leads me to the main topic of today’s blog post: gratitude. Gratitude for how far I’ve come. After getting a little rest on my flight from Prescott to Denver, it started registering with me … Continue reading →

Believing that God Exists

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Once you accept the existence of God—however you define Him, however you explain your relationship to Him—then you are caught forever with His presence in the center of all things. – Morris West “Having our Higher Power as an integral part of how we experience all the hours of a day (whether they hold burdens or blessings) heightens our awareness of the fullness of our life. Believing that God exists for us and in us profoundly changes how we see every aspect of our day. “A number of us didn’t believe in God when we joined a Twelve Step program. Or if we did, many of us believed in a demanding or punishing God who had no relevance to our daily life. What a difference it makes to let a loving God take charge of our thoughts, attitudes, behaviors, and plans for the future.” – “In God’s Care*: Daily Meditations on Spirituality in Recovery,” June 16 *As We Understand God I was one of those individuals that didn’t believe in God when I joined a Twelve Step program. I was a devout atheist, and even though I’d suffered with an eating disorder my entire life, it took me five years … Continue reading →

Constructive Criticism

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It takes a rare person to want to hear what he doesn’t want to hear. – Dick Cavett “Accepting criticism is difficult for most of us. “We not only cheat ourselves out of the serenity that comes when we accept our fallibility, we also miss the opportunity to learn from others when they offer helpful criticism.” I will not turn from my critics today and will try to evaluate their words objectively. – “In God’s Care*: Daily Meditations on Spirituality in Recovery,” June 3 *As We Understand God I have to say that I’m not one to mind constructive criticism from others. I seek to improve myself, in order to improve my life, and also so that I can be of better service to Spirit and others. I pride myself in being objective and as long as the person dispensing the criticism is coming from a loving space and is accurate in their assessment, I think I’m amenable to hearing their words. Unlike many others, I also like change. So perhaps I am open and receptive to constructive criticism because it contributes to change. After all, growth is change, and that is what can proceed from constructive criticism. I’m sure … Continue reading →

I Keep the Promise

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Rev. Kathryn McDowell was the guest speaker at Centers for Spiritual Living-Prescott this morning. She highlighted some of the powerful words the founder of Science of Mind, Ernest Holmes, set down in his volume “The Science of Mind.” I had read a lot of the text more than 15 years ago, but had not studied it much over the years since then. I’m thrilled to say that since moving to Prescott, I’ve gotten involved with studying and practicing the philosophy again and welcomed Rev. Kathryn’s remarks. She pointed out the Introductory chapters in the book that spell out what the philosophy is about: I. The Thing Itself II. The Way It Works III. What It Does IV. How to Use It This Thing is the Power back of creation and can be used to improve our lives in all ways. I knew when I got home I needed to take down my copy of the textbook from the shelf and start reading. I was inspired—and, I really need to make some changes and improve my life to feel happier and more fulfilled. Looking through the text I was moved to glance at the short meditations Holmes shared of his ideas … Continue reading →

I Embrace Change

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“…great things happen when I embrace change. Actually, breaking routines and stepping into the unknown is beneficial.” – Deborah Perdue, RScP I embrace change. Today I submitted my resignation for the contract job I’ve held for five months and which had about ten months to go, if not more. It is 100% remote, I’m earning the most money ever in my life, the people are pleasant, my schedule is somewhat flexible, and the work load relatively light. A dream job? Hardly. At least not for me. I’ve barely made use of my vast experience and talent, I don’t feel I’ve been of much service, and I’ve not gained additional skills to add to my resumé. In fact, I feel like I’m regressing, because as the adage goes, “If you don’t use it, you lose it.” So, a couple months ago I made the decision to let go of the easy, comfortable role and embrace change, i.e., find another job. It’s more than a full-time job to look for a job, but it’s needed and worth it. In a couple weeks I start a new contract. It’s 100% remote, I’ll be earning more money than I have earned in my life, … Continue reading →