Love And Need

When people are truly in love, they experience far more than just a mutual need of each other's company and consolation.
In their relations with each other they become different people: they are more than their everyday selves, more alive, more understanding, more enduring . . . They are made over into new beings. They are transformed by the power of their love.

Love is the revelation of our deepest personal meaning, value and identity.
But this revelation remains impossible as long as we are the prisoners of our own egoism.
I cannot find myself in myself, but only in another.
My true meaning and worth are shown to me not in my estimate of myself, but in the eyes of the one who loves me; and that one must love me as I am, with my faults and limitations, revealing to me the truth that these faults and limitations cannot destroy my worth in the eyes of that one who loves me; and that I am therefore valuable as a person, in spite of my shortcomings, in spite of the imperfections of my exterior "package."
The package is totally unimportant.
What matters is this infinitely precious message which I can discover only in my love for another person.
And this message, this secret, is not fully revealed to me unless at the same time I am able to see and understand the mysterious and unique worth of the one I love.

-- Thomas Merton.

"Love and Need" in Love and Living: 31.

Love is not only a special way of being alive,
it is the perfection of life.

He who loves is more alive and more real
that he was when he did not love.

-- Love and Living: 32.

Conscious Brilliance

Autumn's Beauty

The birth of autumn is an event missed by many.
Autumn reveals itself slowly, hovering on the edges of our consciousness until its crisp breezes are strong enough to pierce our summer clothing, and we notice for the first time the transformations taking place all around us.
It is only when the last fruits and vegetables have emerged in the crisp tangy air and the trees have begun to deck themselves in shifting patterns of crimson and gold that we internalize that fall has indeed returned.
Autumn is invigorating and a time to gather our thoughts, in the same way that we might once have collected crops.
Just as animals collect acorns to store them, we reap the fruit of our accomplishments.
Autumn also ushers in a new slowness of being for most of us, as the tone and tempo of our lives change along with those of all of Mother Earth's children.

As the days grow shorter and the blossoms that brightened our gardens through summer's heat begin to droop and wilt, we tend to acknowledge the changing season without understanding that we, too, are in transition.
The brilliance of autumn's foliage, the flocks of southbound geese honking overhead, and the arrival of a bountiful harvest are all signs that our lives will soon be changing. Whether the season's cooler days are a prelude to a cold winter or a long stretch of sweater weather, we feel obliged to slow down and take stock of our lives.
Autumn's pleasures and rituals revolve around the gathering of abundance in preparation for the winter to come.
There is ample time to contemplate what we accomplished during the warmer seasons while tasting the year's first cider or breathing in the sweet fragrance of leaves breaking down.
The same stirring that inspires animals to burrow deep into the earth compels us to celebrate the rich bounty we instinctively know will not appear again until springtime.

Appearances deceive in autumn.
The transformations undergone by living beings seem much more like endings than the transitions they really are.
Dormancy, not death, is the hallmark of fall.
Your priorities will likely change as nature flares into sunset brilliance and then lapses slowly into slumber, but remember to rejoice in the beauty of nature where every finale serves as an overture for a new beginning.

-- DailyOM

Elder's Meditation -- One Day At A Time

It's not an accident that firewater is also called spirits.
Firewater affects our judgments.
The Great Spirit created a set of laws and principles by which we are to live our lives.
When we have problems we should pray and ask for the wisdom of these laws.
If instead we turn to liquor, our judgement will be affected.
It is the decision and choice made under the influence of booze that causes us to be fools.
We need to learn to lean on prayer and not on the spirits of alcohol.

Great Spirit, teach me to pray.

Let not one drop of liquor touch my lips today.

Virtue And Vice

Virtue and vice both spring from small beginnings.
So start small: virtue is a fruitful tree that grows from little roots to feed and strengthen all those around us, as we have been feed and strengthened by others.

God in his power is refuge and strength;

God in his mercy is the river that refreshes the soul;

God in his beauty stills all our useless struggles

and gathers us into his place.

In Small Matters

Hence it is that the bitterness of the trial is
sweetened by the balm of God's goodness and mercy.
Praise be to God who can so marvelously alternate joy and tears
so as to lead the soul by unknown paths to the attainment of perfection,
a flower which the merciful God causes to bloom
amid the thorns of suffering,
watered by tears of the soul that suffers patiently,
the humbly conforms to the divine will and prays with warmth and fervor.

-- St. Pio of Pietrelcina

Thy Will Be Done

In a world and a Church sincerely devoted to doing many good works that could bring about peace, I might sometimes overlook the fact that the greatest work of all is prayer.
I dare not abandon the good work, but let me remember the peace is ultimately God's desire and God's achievement: let me prayer earnestly, "Thy will be done.

The Seed And The Field Of Expansion

We cannot hope to find a human solution to all the problems facing us as long as we fail to recognize our capacity for the infinite, a capacity that unhinges us when it cannot be actualized in a field of expansion as vast as its potential.

-- Father Maurice Zundel

A Swiss mystic, poet, philosopher, liturgist, and author.

Elder's Meditation -- A Giving Person

The Great Spirit created a system of balance and justice.
This law says, if you treat others with respect,
you will be treated with respect.
If you gossip about no one,
no one will gossip about you.
If you are fair in all of your dealings,
you can expect the same.
If you share with others,
others, will share with you.
If you judge others,
others will judge you.
You will always get back what you give out.
The original teaching talks about being a giving person.
A giving person will constantly be on the receiving end.

My Creator, help me to be a giving person today.

Elder's Meditation -- A Warrior's Song

Everything on the earth has a purpose and a reason for its existence.
Every human being is a warrior and every warrior has a song written in his/her heart and that song must be sung or the soul forever remains restless.
This song is always about serving the Great Spirit and helping the people.
This song is always sung for the people.
Many times I need to learn much about the difficulties of life.
I need to know this, so I must experience it.
Then I can be of use to the people.
Because I am experiencing difficulty does not mean I have left the path or that I have done something wrong.
It means I'm doing the will of the Great Spirit during these times of testing.
I need to pray constantly to keep a good attitude.

Great Spirit, this I know - You will never leave me,

only my doubting makes it seem like You do.

This I know - Your love is always dependable,

only my doubting makes it seem like You do.

Today remove the doubts from my belief system and

allow me to stand straight and see You with straight eyes.

Love

There is no love apart from the deeds of love;

no potentiality of love but that which is manifested in loving.

-- Jean-Paul Sartre

Love is not something that is bestowed on me.

I can create it, everyday.

It grows in me as I take actions that affirm myrespect and caring for others and myself.

Love is not limited to romantic encounters, but extends to my daily relationships with other people, including my friends and members of my community.

Love is not in scarce supply.

My acts of kindness and service and my practice of genuine tolerance renew love in the world and in my heart.

Weeds Of Life

We plant seeds that will flower as results in our lives,

so best to remove the weeds of anger, avarice, envy and doubt,

that peace and abundance may manifest for all.

-- Dorothy Day

Moments Of Happiness

There is no happiness;
there are only moments of happiness.

-- Spanish proverb

Moments of happiness, like creative thoughts, pass before me all the time.
If I want to enjoy them, it's up to me to reach out and take them when they appear.
The opportunities are boundless, and they all come dressed up like other people.
No one has ever been happy for long in isolation.
We are not, by nature, solitary creatures.
God gave us people to be with.
And as an incentive to be kind to one another.
God made each of us a source of happiness for others.

The Price Of Pain

The life of a Christian is nothing but a perpetual struggle against self; there is no flowering of the soul to the beauty of its perfection except at the price of pain.

-- St. Padre Pio da Pietrelcina

The Weight Of The Past -- Regret

Holding onto regret is like dragging the weight of the past with us everywhere we go.
It drains our energy, leaving less available for life in the present because we are constantly feeding an old issue.
This attachment can cause illness the same way watering a dead plant creates decay.
We know that something new and beautiful can grow in its place if we only prepare the soil and plant the right seeds.
We also know that we create our lives from our thoughts, so dwelling on the past may actually recreate a situation in our lives where we are forced to make the choice again and again.
We can choose to move on right now by applying what we have learned to the present and perhaps even sharing with others, transforming the energy into something that is constructive and creative for ourselves and others.

Forgiveness is the soothing balm that can heal regret.
In meditation, we can imagine discussing the issue with the self of our past and offering our forgiveness for the choice.
In return, we can ask for our selves’ forgiveness for keeping them locked in that space of judgment for so long.
We may also want to ask forgiveness from anyone else who may have been affected and perhaps offer our forgiveness.
By replaying the event in our minds, we can choose a new ending using all that we now know.
Imagine that you have actually gone back into the past and made this change, and then say goodbye to it.
Release your former self with a hug and bring the forgiveness and love back with you to the present.
Since we are usually our harshest critics, it is amazing how powerfully healing it can be to offer ourselves love.

Keeping our minds and our energy fully in the present allows us to fuel our physical and emotional healing and well-being today.
This action frees our energy to create the dreams we dream for the future.
By taking responsibility and action in the present, we can release our hold on the past.

-- DailyOM

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Elder's Meditation -- Dwellings

In my mind are many dwellings.
Each of the dwellings we create ourselves -
the house of anger,
the house of despair,
the house of self pity,
the house of indifference,
the house of negative,
the house of positive,
the house of hope,
the house of joy,
the house of peace,
the house of enthusiasm,
the house of cooperation,
the house of giving.
Each of these houses we visit each day.
We can stay in any house for as long as we want.
We can leave these mental houses any time we wish.
We create the dwelling, we stay in the dwelling, we leave the dwelling whenever we wish.
We can create new rooms, new houses.
Whenever we enter these dwellings, this becomes our world until we leave for another.
What world will we live in today?

Creator, no one can determine which dwelling I choose to enter.
No one has the power to do so, only me.
Let me choose wisely today.

Mental Poison

Resentment is like taking poison and

waiting for the other person to die.

George Carlin's Views on Aging

Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that you think in fractions.

"How old are you?" "I'm four and a half!" You're never thirty-six and a half. You're four and a half, going on five! That's the key

You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back . You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.

"How old are you?" "I'm gonna be 16!" You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life . you become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony . YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!

But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There's no fun now, you're Just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed?

You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50 and your dreams are gone.

But wait! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would!

So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60

You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it's a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday!

You get into your 80's and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30; you REACH bedtime. And it doesn't end there. Into the 90s, you start going backwards; "I Was JUST 92."

Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. "I 'm 100 and a half!"
May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!

HOW TO STAY YOUNG

1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay "them."

2 Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. "An idle mind is the devil's workshop," And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take,

but by the moments that take our breath away.

The Right Attitude

If I am to know the will of God, I must have the right attitude toward life.
I must first of all know what life is, and to know the purpose of my existence.

It is all very well to declare that I exist in order to save my soul and give glory to God by doing so.
And it is all very well to say that, in order to do this, I obey certain commandments and keep certain counsels.
Yet knowing this much, and indeed knowing all moral theology and ethics and canon law, I might still go through life conforming myself to certain indications of God's will without ever fully giving myself to God.
For that, in the last analysis, is the real meaning of His will.
He does not need our sacrifices, He asks for our selves.
And if He prescribes certain acts of obedience, it is not because obedience is the beginning and the end of end of everything. It is only the beginning.
Charity, divine union, transformation in Christ: these are the end.

--Thomas Merton

No Man Is An Island: 63

What God wants of me is myself.

That means to say that His will for me points to one thing:
the realization, the discovery, and the fulfillment
of my self, my true self, in Christ.

No Man Is An Island: 63-64.

Self-Respect

It is the highest form of self-respect

to admit mistakes and

to make amends for them.

Laughter

The most wasted day of all is that on which we have not laughed.

--Sebastien R. N. Chamfort

What Is Defeat?

What is defeat?. . . Nothing but the first step to something better.

--Wendell Phillips

Admitting defeat is my first step into a beautiful world.
Like all first steps, it's hard.
But what a world I found myself in!
A world where I count!
A world where all are really equal!

This first step brings me into God's world of care.
I get love.
I give love.
I stay sober because daily I admit defeat.

A Prodigal Son

No matter how far I stray and how lost I feel, God the Father is always right there waiting for me with open arms.
I may feel sinful and unworthy of his love, but all I need to do is make a move toward him and he will run to meet me as his beloved son.
Let me run to receive his love.

Run to me in your mercy.

When I have departed far from you.

When I seek to return to your house.

When I have squandered the gifts you have given me.

Pursue me when I am far from you ,

that I may return to your loving arms.

God-Dependent

May God erase in me the arrogant pride which keeps me from listening.

May my unhealthy dependence on chemicals and
my clinging dependence on those near by
be transformed into reliance on God.

Only in this kind of dependence - reliance - on
a Higher Power will I find my own transformation.

Today, I am God-dependent.

My Storms

The storm has passed.

I've learned a little more about peace.

It was inside all the time.

Having wandered from any true sense of
a spiritual home and any real sense of direction,
I was lost and hungered hopelessly for I know know what.

God, however, is a tireless seeker.

Guarding Our Souls

The great danger of the turmoil of the end-time in which we live is losing our souls.
Losing our souls means losing touch with our center, our true call in life, our mission, our spiritual task.
Losing our soul means becoming so distracted by and preoccupied with all that is happening around us that we end up fragmented, confused, and erratic.
Jesus is very aware of that danger.
He says: "Take care not to be deceived, because many will come using my name and saying, 'I am the one' and 'The time is near at hand' Refuse to join them" (Luke 21:8).

In the midst of anxious times there are many false prophets, promising all sorts of "salvations."
It is important that we be faithful disciples of Jesus, never losing touch with our true spiritual selves.

-- Henri Nouwen

Elder's Meditation -- The Teacher

Nature is a living example of how communities live in harmony. I
f you go into the forest or mountain and sit still and watch, ask yourself, what lessons are being taught?
Then watch how the animals conduct themselves.
The trees could represent diversity.
The flowers could represent people.
Notice how everything in nature assists one another.
See how balance works.
See how conflict is handled.
Can you see acts of forgiveness?
Can you spot respect?
Nature is full of wisdom if wee will only consider her to be our teacher.

My Creator, today let me learn from nature.

A Work Of Art

What would it be like if you lived each day,
each breath, as a work of art in progress?
Imagine that you are a masterpiece unfolding,
every second of every day,
a work of art taking form with every breath.

-- Thomas Crum

Patience

Patience is a particular requirement.

Without it, you can destroy in an hour

what it might take you weeks to repair.

--Charlie W. Shedd

Enjoying the moment, in its fullest, makes possible a peaceful and patient pace.
Progress is guaranteed if my mind is centered in the present, on the only event deserving of my attention.
I can be certain that error and frustration will haunt me if my attention are divided.

Patience slows me down long enough to notice another, and to be grateful for the gifts of the moment.
Patience promises me the power to move forward with purpose.

Today's fruits will be in proportion to my patience.

Elder's Meditation -- The Inside

All permanent and lasting change starts first on the inside and works its way out.
Having constant prayer and Creator directed visions helps us to live in harmony.
This is the best way to grow strong and become a Warrior.
No matter what is going on outside of ourselves, it is our projection that makes it so.
It is our projections that even give it any meaning.
Another way is each day to turn our life and our will over to the care of the Great Spirit.
Then He will show us His desire for us.
When we are in alignment to His desire, we become very joyful and very happy.

Oh Great Spirit, You take care of me today and

tell me what I can do for You today.

Give me the discipline to talk to You

whenever I am in doubt or fear.

Let me come to You if I get irritated.

You are my solution.

What We Are Taught

In the end we will conserve only what we love.

We will love only what we understand.

We will understand only what we are taught.

Baba Dioum,

Senegalese conservationist (b. 1937)

Taking Up The Cross

Life is never without its crosses, but there is a difference betweek taking up the cross and just being weighed down by it.
If I take up the crosses in my life in union with Jesus Christ, he helps along he way.
If I refuse his help, I am simply crushed under their weight.

Lord, uphold me in your love.

When the weight of my cross seems too much to bear,

-- and I feel myself falling.

When I am tempted to abandon the cross,

-- and seek the easy way out.

When I am overwhelmed with guilt,

-- and are tempted to depair.

The Consequences You Sow

Action And Effect

All motive and action affects the cosmos in some way.
The principle of cause and effect is the truth that allows us to change ourselves and the world around us for the better.
However, this same universal law is also at work when change is not at the forefront of our minds.
Our intentions flow forever outward in the form of energy, affecting both the people closest to us and billions of individuals we will likely never meet.
For this reason, we should strive always to speak, think, and behave with great thoughtfulness and compassion.
The virtues we choose to embody can inspire joy and integrity in the lives of countless people, whether we touch their existence directly or not.

The influence we wield is infinite.
In an effort to internalize our conscious understanding of the nature of cause and effect, we can never truly know how our thoughts, emotions, words, or actions will manifest themselves on the larger universal stage because it is likely that the furthest-reaching effects will fall outside the range of our perception.
We can only look to the guidance of our conscience, which will help us determine whether each of our choices is contributing to humanity's illumination or setting the stage for unintended troubles.
When we are in doubt, we need only remember that the cultivation of altruism inevitably leads to a harvest of goodwill and grace.
Motivated by a sincere desire to spread goodness, we will be naturally drawn to those choices that will help us express our commitment to universal well-being.

Nothing you do, however minor or mundane, is ever exempt from the rules of cause and effect.
From the moment of your birth, you have served as an agent of change, setting forces beyond your comprehension into motion across the surface of the earth and beyond.
You can exert conscious control over this transformative energy simply by examining your intentions and endeavoring always to promote peace, positive energy, and passion in your ideas and actions.
While you may never fully comprehend the extent of your purposefully heartfelt influence, you can rest assured that it will be universally felt.

DailyOM

Today's Thoughts

God can't hand you anything new
until you let go of what you're holding.

*****

If you keep bringing your body,
your mind will follow.

*****

Every AA meeting is a payment on your sobriety.

*****

My problems are self-made.

*****

Yesterday is so far in the past I can't see it;

tomorrow is too distant in the future to be seen.

So I'll take a good look at what I can see - today.

Choosing Words Wisely

Words are very important.
When we say to someone: "You are an ugly, useless, despicable person," we might have ruined the possibility for a relationship with that person for life.
Words can continue to do harm for many years.

It is so important to choose our words wisely.
When we are boiling with anger and eager to throw bitter words at our opponents, it is better to remain silent.
Words spoken in rage will make reconciliation very hard.
Choosing life and not death, blessings and not curses often starts by choosing to remain silent or choosing carefully the words that open the way to healing.

Henri Nouwen

Elder's Meditation -- A Simple Life

The old ones say, lead a simple life.
The society we live in is all about getting more houses, cars, luxury and credit cards.
The law of worry says, the more you have, the more you need to worry.
You get a house, then you need insurance, then you need to take care of the yard and the list goes on.
Next, you may want a bigger house with a bigger yard whick costs more in insurance.
Along with the accumulation of materialism, are other "gifts."
Soon you become a slave and the materialism owns you.
Lead a simple life and have peace of mind.
Lead a simple life and be spiritual.

Creator, let my foundation be spiritual and simple.

Risk

I know that in embarking on non-violence

I shall be running what might be termed a mad risk.

But the victories of truth have never been won without risks.

Mahatma Gandhi

Elder's Meditation -- Doubt and Control

There are many things that block us from wisdom such as selfishness, secrets, hate, anger, jealousy and judgments.
Another thing that can block us from wisdom is trying too hard or wishing something would happen.
Wishing implies doubt and trying implies control.
We need to let go of these things.
We need to abandon ourselves to the Creator.
As soon as we surrender everything, the wisdom starts to flow.
The Elders know how to help us with this.
Just ask them.

My Great Spirit, today I surrender my life and my will to Your care.

Acceptance

Acceptance is the universal currency of real friendship. . . .

It does not warp or shape or wrench a person
to be anything other than what they are.

Joan Chittister

The Friendship of Women

Elder's Meditation -- Sacrifice and Suffering

People sometimes have a misconception of sacrifice.
This is a strong word for Indian people.
On the other side of sacrifice is another whole world.
During sacrifice, our beliefs are tested.
We may all have good beliefs but if you test a good belief, then you get real beliefs.
Real beliefs make new people; real beliefs make new self images.
Real beliefs allow determination and desires and faith to come true.
Good is always available to us but we often can't bring it within until we let go of the old ways.
We let go of the old ways by suffering.
Suffering is only letting go of things that don't work anymore.
On the other side of suffering is a new world.

Creator, help me to let go of old ways.

Let my old thoughts and beliefs be abandoned.

Every change is preceded by struggle.

Help me go through the struggle today.

Words For The Day

An optimist isn't necessarily a blithe, sappy whistler in the dark.

To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic.

If we remember those times and places
where people have behaved magnificently,

this gives us energy to act and at least the possibility of sending

this spinning top of a world in a different direction.

-- Howard Zinn

Today my prayer consisted in simply going to my heart and

remembering all the folks I've stored there.

It is not cold storage.

It is a quite warm and tender place.

-- Sr. Macrina Wiederkehr, OSB

A Tree Full of Angels

When I count my blessings,

I count you twice.

-- Irish Proverb

CARDS

Call your sponsor,

Ask for help from your Higher Power,

Read the Big Book,

Do the Twelve Steps,

Stay active in your group.