Battle Hymn

http://www.greatdanepromilitary.com/Battle%20Hymn/index.htm

Our Harvest

We are each other's harvest;

we are each other's business;

we are each other's magnitude and bond.

Gwendolyn Brooks

Winds Of Grace

The winds of grace blow all the time.

All we need to do is set our sails.

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa

Gospel of Ramakrishna

I Am Thankful . . .

I am thankful:

For the wife who says it's hot dogs tonight, because she is home with me, and not out with someone else.

For the husband who is on the sofa being a couch potato, because he is home with me and not out at the bars.

For the teenager who is complaining about doing dishes because it means she is at home, not on the streets.

For the taxes I pay because it means I am employed.

For the mess to clean after a party because it means I have been surrounded by friends.

For the clothes that fit a little too snug because it means I have enough to eat.

For my shadow that watches me work because it means I am out in the sunshine.

For a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning, and gutters that need fixing because it means I have a home.

For all the complaining I hear about the government because it means we have freedom of speech.

For the parking spot I find at the far end of the parking lot because it means I am capable of walking and I have been blessed with transportation.

For my huge heating bill because it means I am warm.

For the lady behind me in church who sings off key because it means I can hear.

For the pile of laundry and ironing because it means I have clothes to wear.

For weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day because it means I have been capable of working hard.

For the alarm that goes off in the early morning hours because it means I am alive.

Surprise

Expect nothing.

Live frugally on surprise.

Alice Walker

Tao Te Ching

Who is it that can make muddy water clear?

No one.

But left to stand,
it will gradually clear of itself.

Lao-Tzu

Tao Te Ching

Not Fear Tomorrow

St.Philip Neri prayed,

"Let me get through today,

and I shall not fear tomorrow."

Harry Truman.

When President Truman retired from office in 1952, his income was
substantially a U.S. Army pension reported to have been $13,507.72 a year
Congress, noting that he was paying for his stamps and personally licking
them, granted him an "allowance" and, later, a retroactive pension of
$25,000 per year.

When offered corporate positions at large salaries, he declined, stating,
"You don't want me.
You want the office of the president, and that doesn't belong to me.
It belongs to the American people and it's not for sale."

Even later, on May 6, 1971, when Congress was preparing to award him the
Medal of Honor on his 87th birthday, he refused to accept it, writing,
"I don't consider that I have done anything which should be the reason for any award, Congressional or otherwise."

Today, many in Congress also have found a way to become quite wealthy while enjoying the fruits of their offices. Political offices are now for sale.

Was good old Harry Truman correct when he observed,
"My choice early in life was either to be a piano player in a whorehouse or a politician. And to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference. I, for one, believe
the piano player job to be much more honorable than current politicians."

The Daffodil Principle

Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, "Mother, you must come to see the daffodils before they are over."
I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Laguna to Lake Arrowhead.
"I will come next Tuesday", I promised a little reluctantly on her third call.

Next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy.
Still, I had promised, and reluctantly I drove there.
When I finally walked into Carolyn's house I was welcomed by the joyful sounds of happy children.
I delightedly hugged and greeted my grandchildren.

"Forget the daffodils, Carolyn!
The road is invisible in these clouds and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and these children that I want to see badly enough to drive another inch!"
My daughter smiled calmly and said, "We drive in this all the time, Mother."

"Well, you won't get me back on the road until it clears, and then I'm heading for home!" I assured her.
"But first we're going to see the daffodils. It's just a few blocks," Carolyn said. "I'll drive. I'm used to this."
"Carolyn," I said sternly, "please turn around."
"It's all right, Mother, I promise. You will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience."

After about twenty minutes, we turned onto a small gravel road and I saw a small church.
On the far side of the church, I saw a hand lettered sign with an arrow that read, "Daffodil Garden."
We got out of the car, each took a child's hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path.
Then, as we turned a corner, I looked up and gasped.
Before me lay the most glorious sight.

It looked as though someone had taken a great vat of gold and poured it over the mountain peak and its surrounding slopes.
The flowers were planted in majestic, swirling patterns, great ribbons and swaths of deep orange, creamy white, lemon yellow, salmon pink, and saffron and butter yellow.
Each different-colored variety was planted in large groups so that it swirled and flowed like its own river with its own unique hue.
There were five acres of flowers.

"Who did this?" I asked Carolyn.
"Just one woman," Carolyn answered. "She lives on the property. That's her home."
Carolyn pointed to a well-kept A-frame house, small and modestly sitting in the midst of all that glory.
We walked up to the house.
On the patio, we saw a poster. "Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking", was the headline.
The first answer was a simple one. "50,000 bulbs," it read.
The second answer was, "One at a time, by one woman. Two hands, two feet, and one brain."
The third answer was, "Began in 1958."

For me, that moment was a life-changing experience.
I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who, more than forty years before, had begun, one bulb at a time, to bring her vision of beauty and joy to an obscure mountaintop.
Planting one bulb at a time, year after year, this unknown woman had forever changed the world in which she lived .
One day at a time, she had created something of extraordinary magnificence, beauty, and inspiration.
The principle her daffodil garden taught is one of the greatest principles of celebration.

That is, learning to move toward our goals and desires one step at a time --often just one baby-step at time -- and learning to love the doing, learning to use the accumulation of time.
When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments of daily effort, we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things.
We can change the world . . .

"It makes me sad in a way," I admitted to Carolyn. "What might I have accomplished if I had thought of a wonderful goal thirty-five or forty years ago and had worked away at it 'one bulb at a time' through all those years? Just think what I might have been able to achieve!"

My daughter summed up the message of the day in her usual direct way.
"Start tomorrow," she said.

She was right.
It's so pointless to think of the lost hours of yesterdays.

The way to make learning a lesson of celebration instead of a cause for regret is to only ask, "How can I put this to use today?"
Use the Daffodil Principle. Stop waiting . . . .

Until your car or home is paid off
Until you get a new car or home
Until your kids leave the house
Until you go back to school
Until you finish school
Until you clean the house
Until you organize the garage
Until you clean off your desk
Until you lose 10 lbs.
Until you gain 10 lbs.
Until you get married
Until you get a divorce
Until you have kids
Until the kids go to school
Until you retire
Until summer
Until spring
Until winter
Until fall
Until you die . . .

There is no better time than right now to be happy.

Happiness is a journey, not a destination.

So work like you don't need money.

Love like you've never been hurt ...

and Dance like no one's watching.

Minister Joe Wright

When Minister Joe Wright was asked to open the new session of the Kansas Senate, everyone was expecting the usual generalities, but this is what they heard:

"Heavenly Father,
We come before you today
To ask your forgiveness and
To seek your direction and guidance.

We know Your Word says,
"Woe to those who call evil good"
But that is exactly what we have done.
We have lost our spiritual equilibrium
And reversed our values.

We have exploited the poor and
Called it the lottery.

We have rewarded laziness
And called it welfare.

We have killed our unborn
And called it ch oice.

We have shot abortionists
And called it justifiable.

We have neglected to discipline
Our children and called it
Building self esteem.

We have abused power
And called it politics.

We have coveted our neighbour's
Possessions and called it ambition.

We have polluted the air
With profanity and
Pornography and called it
Freedom of speech and expression.”

We have ridiculed the time
Honoured values of our
Forefathers and called it enlightenment.

Search us, Oh, God,
And know our hearts today;
Cleanse us from every sin
And set us free.
Amen!"

The rest of the story:
http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/outrage/wright.asp

The Very Center

The Bible is a "worldly" book in the sense that
it sees God at the very center of man's life,
his work, his relations with his fellow man,
his play and his joy.

Thomas Merton

Opening the Bible

Underwater astonishments

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/206

Buddy Check

Think about this for a minute . . .

If I happened to show up on your door step crying,
Would you Care?

If I called you and asked you to pick me up because something Happened,
Would you come?

If I had one day left, to live my life;
Would you be part of That last day?

If I needed a shoulder to cry on,
Would you give me Yours?

Do you know what the relationship is between your two eyes?

They blink together,

they move together,

they cry together,
They see things together and

they sleep together,
BUT THEY NEVER SEE EACH OTHER . . .

that's what friendship is.

Life is lonely without FRIENDS.

It's 'world best friends week'.

Who is your best friend?

Save the Earth... it's the only planet with chocolate!!!!

To Believe

God give[s] us a mind that can or can't believe, but not even God can make us believe. . . . You have to believe first before you can pray.

--Harriet Arnow

As I reflect back on the events of the day, I need to remember the times I asked God for help and the times I didn't.
And I need to believe first - before I pray tonight - that God is there to help me every minute of every day.

Steps Not Leaps

In a letter to St. Augustine of Canterbury, Pope Gregory the Great wrote:

"He who would climb to a lofty height
must go by steps, not leaps."

Happy Memorial Day to All

Heavenly Father,

we humbly ask that you watch over

our soldiers, sailors and airmen and

protect them from thy enemy.

Show them a new revelation of your love and power.

Holy Spirit, I ask You to minister to

their spirit at this very moment.

Where there is pain, give them your peace and mercy.

Where there is self-doubt,

release a renewed confidence through your grace.

Where there is need, I ask You to fulfill their needs.

Bless their homes, families, finances, and journeys.

In Jesus' precious name, Amen.

The Promised Spirit

Have you ever considered how extraordinary was the behavior of the first disciples?
In the face of all hostility, they devoted themselves not to self-defense or vengeance but to prayer and works of charity.

Strengthened by the promised Spirit of God, let me surrender myself into his hands, living in trust and in hope as I follow the way of discipleship toward the fullness of his kingdom.

My Creator,
You do not disappoint those who hope in your mercy:
‑ remember that I am slow to believe, and strengthen my faith.
You guide me when I walk in darkness
‑ teach your paths to all those who seek the road of life.

O my Creator,
You are my guide and guard along life’s paths.
Lead me in the ways of justice and love,
righteousness and peace,
by the guidance of the Spirit.
Amen

A human life may sometimes look too short to be worth much, but my Creator, who sees the works of his hands from the perspective of enduring love, clothes even passing wildflower with splendor.
I may be but a breath, a puff of wind, a handful of dust ‑ but that breath of life that animates me is the Spirit of God.

I am in my Creator’s hands because I am the work of His hands.
All that I have and am belong to him.
Through the gift of the Spirit, let me put my trust in Him and walk always in His ways.

My Creator is true: he has a long memory for his own promises and a short memory of my failures to keep mine.
In the gift of his promised Spirit, I find my daily joy.

The Spirit of truth is an uneasy gift.
Truth can lead me into dangerous places, but truth is my greatest protection against the power of sin and darkness.

O my Creator,
Keep me in your truth!
In the midst of confusion,
In the midst of temptation,
In the midst of conflict,

Save your people!
From all that divides us,
From all that sows seeds of
dislike and disdain among us,
From all that is not love,
Amen.

Besides the river that watered the garden of Eden, the Creator offered the first couple the choice between obedient love and self-seeking darkness.
The choice remains mine to make each day.

Violence often seems to succeed where goodness fails to accomplish much.
The world is full of “unsung saints” who achieve no pubic success but who persevere in living upright lives that accomplish the greatest of goals: to see and dwell with the Creator always

The immensity of my Creator’s compassion for me is the measure of the compassion He asks me to show another in my exile, my brokenness of heart, my wounds, and my lowliness.
How can I possibly show compassion as great as His?
Not alone.

The way of my Creator leads to wisdom, joy, light, and life;
the way of evil leads to foolishness, suffering, darkness, and death.
Let me live by my Creator’s law.

My Creator, light my way.
O Lord, your word give wisdom to the simple:
‑ make me simple of heart.
O Lord, your word is sweet to the taste:
‑ grant me the discernment to prefer its taste to any empty words we may hear.
O Lord, your work is steadfast, abiding for ever:
‑ keep my feet firmly on the path of everlasting life.
Amen.

My Creator is exalted in mystery and majesty, triune and one in glory, yet nearer to me than I am to myself through the divine indwelling.
What can I offer but praise that dares to go beyond the small boundaries of my finite understanding into the realm of light inaccessible?

Let me put into my Creator’s hands my heart, my soul, the deep recesses of my being wherein dwell those beliefs and thoughts that govern my actions, so that He may guide me in the ways of the sunlight of the new day.

As evening falls, let me give thanks and praise for the faithful love and guidance He has given me and let me ask for forgiveness where I have failed to follow in his ways.

How often do I rediscover the psalmist’s insight: hidden guilt festers; honest admission of guilt heals!

O my Creator, be merciful to me, a sinner.
For words and deeds of impatience and anger:‑ pardon me, O Lord.
For words and deeds of selfish grasping:‑ pardon me, O Lord.
For words and deeds of unkindness:‑ pardon me, O Lord.
For those sins of which I am most ashamed:‑ pardon me, O Lord.

O Creator of mercy and compassion,
all my guilt lies open to you,
all my secret sins are know to you,
all my ugly ways are clear before you,
yet you never cease to offer me your redeeming love.

Have mercy on me in my pitiful attempts to cloak my sinfulness with false bravado, and grant me the joy that come with full repentance.
Amen.

The Dog Rule

Handle every stressful situation just like a dog.

If you can't eat it or hump it . . .

Piss on it and walk away!!!

Recovery

Recovering – one action at a time.

Mad yet?

As I read the newspaper, watch the nightly news, and cringe at rising gas and food prices, perhaps the time has come to take Howard Beale's advice from the 1976 Oscar-winning movie "Network:"

"I don't have to tell you things are bad. Everybody knows things are bad. It's a depression. Everybody's out of work or scared of losing their job. The dollar buys a nickel's work, banks are going bust ... and there's no end to it. We know the air is unfit to breathe and our food is unfit to eat ... as if that's the way it's supposed to be. We know things are bad — worse than bad. They're crazy. It's like everything everywhere is going crazy ...

"I want you to get mad! I don't want you to protest. I don't want you to riot — I don't want you to write to your congressman because I wouldn't know what to tell you to write. I don't know what to do about the depression and the inflation ... all I know is that first you've got to get mad. You've got to say, 'I'm a human being ... My life has value!'

"So I want you to get up now. I want all of you to get up out of your chairs. I want you to get up right now and go to the window. Open it, and stick your head out, and yell,

'I'm as mad as hell, and
I'm not going to take this anymore!' "

Perhaps it time to write in: "None of the above" in the upcoming elections given the choice we have.
I mean for all offices not just president -- I am sure the politicians have some fail safe law that makes this meaningless.
Nevertheless, given the candidates is that what our votes will be?
If you believe the media it is a done deal -- we are jumping from the firing pan to only God knows where.

I believe our government need a good flush -- we are not getting our money's worth from the guys and gals in office today just look at the farm bill debacle – Congress cannot even follow its own procedures.

Yes, time to get mad and give them a good flush.

The Art Of Patience

I've started to realize that waiting is an art,

that waiting achieves things.

Waiting can be very, very powerful.

Time is a valuable thing.

If you can wait two years,

you can sometimes achieve something that

you could not achieve today,

however hard you worked,

however much money you threw up in the air,

however many times you banged your head against the wall . . .

The Courage to Change
by Dennis Wholey

The people who are most successful at living and loving are those who can learn to wait successfully.
Not many people enjoy waiting or learning patience.
Yet, waiting can be a powerful tool that will help me accomplish much good.

Deal with my frustration and impatience, but learn how to wait.
The old saying, "You can't always get what you want" isn't entirely true.
Often, in life, I can get what I want - especially the desires of my heart - if I can learn to wait.

Today, I am willing to learn the art of patience.
If I am feeling powerless because I am waiting for something to happen and I am not in control of timing, I will focus on the power available to me by learning to wait.

Unexpected Gifts

As life becomes harder and more threatening,

it also becomes richer,

because the fewer expectations we have,

the more good things of life become

unexpected gifts that we accept with gratitude.

Etty Hillesum

An Interrupted Life

If Only . . .

Although I can easily imagine an ideal world in which to live out my baptismal vocation, such a world does not exist.
An “If only ….” approach to holiness never quite gets underway, never produces the fruit that God has a right to expect.

This also applies to recovery -- faith without action is dead.
Stop awaiting for the right moment or circumstance.
Now -- today -- is that time to start living the Steps.

More Jargon

TAD: Transportation, Aging, and Disposal canister system

Phantom Load: The electricity consumed by a device when it is turned off.

Crib Crasher: Someone who shows up at your front door unannounced.

Nanomanagers

Bosses who have taken micromanaging to a whole new level of nitpicking.

Dread & Wallowing

I will tackle at least two things I dread doing.
I will not waste my time and energy by
wallowing in boredom, worry, criticism, or fear.
I will do what needs to be done even if
it requires effort, risk and change.

Free-Range Kid:

A child who is given lots of time for unstructured activities and play during the day.
Also: free-range child.

My Mistakes

I find comfort in knowing that, in the past,

I did what I thought was right at the time.

What makes my mistakes seem so bad

is that I judge them by what I know today.

I know more than I did then,

and less than I will tomorrow.
I trust that, in the future,

I will not make the same mistakes.

I have more information now, and

I will be able to handle things differently

and make wiser choices.

I accept myself for who I was then

and for who I am today.

PowerPoint singalong

A presentation read verbatim from the slides without observations, notes, comments or asides of any kind.
Monotone optional, but not required.

Spiritual Self

Perhaps the truth which emerges is this:

If you have your spiritual self in order,

your earthly commitments will fall into order also.

“[S]eek first the kingdom [of God] and his righteousness,” said the carpenter from Nazareth, “and all these things will be given you besides” (Matthew 6:33).

Geezers

"Geezers" (slang for an old men) are easy to spot:

At sporting events, during the playing of the Star Spangled Banner, Geezers remove their caps, stand at attention and sing without embarrassment.

They know the words and believe in them.

Geezers remember the Depression, World War II, Pearl Harbor, Guadalcanal, Normandy and Hitler.

They remember the Atomic Age, the Korean War 1950-55, The Cold War, the Jet Age.

The 50 plus Peacekeeping Missions from 1945 to 2005 and the Moon Landing, not to mention Vietnam.

If you bump into a Geezer on the sidewalk, he will apologize.

If you pass a Geezer on the street, he will nod or tip his cap to a lady.

Geezers trust strangers and are courtly to women.

Geezers hold the door for the next person and always, when walking, make certain the lady is on the inside for protection.

Geezers get embarrassed if someone curses in front of women and children, and they don't like any filth on TV or in movies or in e-mails.

Geezers have moral courage.

They seldom brag unless it's about their grandchildren.

It's the Geezers who know our great country is protected, not by politicians or police, but by the men and women in the military serving their country.

This country needs more Geezers with their decent values.

We need them now more than ever.

Thank God for Geezers! Thank goodness we still have a few 'geezers' around . . .

Holiness

"Holiness is not perfection
according to human criteria;
it is not reserved for
a small number of exceptional persons.
It is for everyone;
it is the Lord who
brings us to holiness,
when we are willing to
collaborate in the salvation
of the world for the glory of God,
despite our sin and
our sometimes rebellious temperament."

Pope John Paul II

Celebrate Growing Older

Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

When in doubt, just take the next small step.

Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

Don't take yourself so seriously.
No one else does.

Pay off your credit cards every month.

You don't have to win every argument.
Agree to disagree.

Cry with someone.
It's more healing than crying alone.

It's OK to get angry with God.
He can take it.

Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

It's OK to let your children see you cry.

Don't compare your life to others'.
You have no idea what their journey is all about.

If a relationship has to be a secret,
you shouldn't be in it.

Everything can change in the blink of an eye.
But don't worry; God never blinks.

Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

It's never too late to have a happy childhood but,
the second one is up to you and no one else.

When it comes to going after what you love in life,
don't take no for an answer.

Burn the candles,
use the nice sheets,
wear the fancy lingerie.
Don't save it for a special occasion.
Today is special.

Over prepare, then go with the flow.

Be eccentric now.
Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

The most important sex organ is the brain.

No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

Frame every so-called disaster with these words:
"In five years, will this matter?"

Always choose life.

Forgive everyone everything.

What other people think of you is none of your business.

Time heals almost everything.
Give time time.

However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

Your job won't take care of you when you are sick.
Your friends will.
Stay in touch.

Believe in miracles.

God loves you because of who God is,
not because of anything you did or didn't do.

Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

Growing old beats the alternative of dying young.

Your children get only one childhood.
Make it memorable.

All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

Get outside every day.
Miracles are waiting everywhere.

If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's,
we'd grab ours back.

Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

The best is yet to come.

No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, and show up.

Yield.

Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

Highest Appreciation

As we express our gratitude,
we must never forget that the highest appreciation
is not to utter words, but to live by them.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy

The Four Absolutes

The Four Absolutes

by the Oxford Group,
used by early AAs before the Twelve Steps were written

Absolute Honesty
Both with ourselves and with others, in word, deed, and thought.

Absolute Unselfishness
To be willing, wherever possible, to help others who need our help.

Absolute Love
You shall love the Lord with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. And. . . you shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Absolute Purity
Purity of mind, of body, and of purpose.