Category Archives: surrender

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 →

Shimmying and Shaking

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With the change in season and weather, I’ve been able to start walking more regularly lately. Even though I have to get up earlier than usual on a work day and already am not getting as much sleep as my body needs, some days I am so very eager to get outdoors and really get into power walking. I have this energy in me that I just need to get out and release. There’s a lot going on in my life and it’s stressful. It’s really all positive, but it’s still stressful nonetheless. Physical movement is helpful in calming me. So, I found it timely when settling into my morning sabbath after coming in from my walk, I read the following: “Taylor Swift was right. When you’re stressed out, the best thing you can do is Shake it off. Shimmy shimmy shake shake!“ “Moving my body moves everything… and I release pent-up anger. When I allow myself to move freely, shimmying and shaking, it ignites movement in my mental, emotional, and spiritual bodies as well. Freedom! Release! Yay!” – “Everyday Joy, 365 days of ohmygod life,” by Z Egloff and Melissa Phillippe, June 13 There is healing in movement in … Continue reading →

Use My intelligence

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“What do you think of God,” the teacher asked. After a pause, the young pupil replied, “He’s not a think, he’s a feel.” – Paul Frost “If our approach to God rested on how much brain power we could summon, a lot of us would be in trouble. We can’t think our way to God. We have to feel our way there.” I don’t have to use my intelligence to get to God. I only have to want God in my life. – “In God’s Care*: Daily Meditations on Spirituality in Recovery,” June 11 *As We Understand God It’s true that when I was a devout atheist, I was searching for proof of God’s existence through my intellect. Not only was the idea of God as postulated by the religions I was familiar with make little sense—in fact, were contradictory—but looking through a lens of logic and the philosophical arguments of respected scholars over the ages failed to prove the existence of God. Yet, joining and working a 12 Step program gave me the evidence I needed. But it was combined with a feeling too. Hearing the stories of miracles and seeing the transformation of individuals gave me the logical … Continue reading →

Prayer is…

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Over the centuries many folks have expressed their ideas about prayer. When I first got into recovery, easing away from atheism and moving towards coming to believe, I learned “prayer is talking to God, meditation is listening to God.” Here are some other thoughts about prayer gleaned from today’s “In God’s Care*: Daily Meditations on Spirituality in Recovery,” *As We Understand God. Prayer is… … an attitude, an awareness of God’s presence … a feeling that we are not alone—ever … a thankfulness, a silent appreciation of and communion with our source … stepping back and letting go I cannot separate any of the aforementioned—they are all part of my attitude as I step into the evening to relax, being aware of Spirit’s presence and hence assured I am not alone, feeling grateful for my Higher Power, and surrendering the evening and everything else to Spirit.

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Surrender to the Breath

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Since yesterday afternoon I’ve been stressed about getting a writing assignment done well and completed in time for an important personal meeting tomorrow for which it is needed. While simultaneously having my corporate job to pay attention to today, I did get it done—yay! However, I can feel the stress is still stuck in my body, as I have a headache and feel tight all over. I know I must get rid of it, especially since I didn’t get much rest last night and I have to start my work day tomorrow a little earlier than usual. Ahhhh. I’m working on remembering God and taking deep breaths, which connect me deeper to Source. Conscious breathing really brings me back to Spirit and the present moment. It is an effective and easy way to not only get back to Spirit, but simultaneously release the excess energy in my body temple and move to a state of peace. Peace in my spirit body, peace in my physical body. I surrender to the breath, I surrender to Spirit. I am grateful for the simplicity, for the remembering, for the miracle of the breath in so many ways—I feel better already! Thank You, Spirit!

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My Level of Acceptance

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“… 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 being exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment. Nothing, absolutely nothing, happens in God’s world by mistake… 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.” (pg. 417) “… my serenity is directly proportional to my level of acceptance. (pg. 420) – “Alcoholics Anonymous,” Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., Fourth Edition As the world opens up and I step out interacting with more people than I have during the past two years, I am getting the opportunity to see how accepting I am of the people, places, and situations coming across my path in my new community. Today I was disturbed by a situation, but I am grateful to know that instead of pointing the finger at it, … Continue reading →

Nonresistance

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“Gandhi built his whole philosophy of life around the theory of nonviolence. An ancient Chinese sage said that all things are possible to the person who can perfectly practice inaction. And the Bible exclaims: “Be still, and know that I am God.” Surely some great truth must be contained in these simple thoughts. “Today I practice nonresistance. Disregarding everything that contradict the Reality in which I believe, I affirm that It is operating in my life. Turning resolutely from everything that denies the good I wish to experience, I affirm that good. There is no situation or condition that resists this transcendent thought…” – “365 Science of Mind: A Year of Daily Wisdom from Ernest Holmes,” March 23 This reading reminds me of the idea of that which we resists, persists. Since my thoughts are creative, I focus on the good I want to experience, and with Spirit’s transcendent power, that is what comes to pass. Resisting anything will only actually keep it in my life, the opposite of what I am trying to achieve. I surrender and my good flows to me.

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