Anger

I ran into a personal crisis that filled me with a raging and righteous anger.
As I fumed helplessly and planned to get good and drunk and show them,
my eye caught a sentence in the book lying open on my bed:
"We cannot live with anger."
The walls crumpled -- and the light streamed in.
I wasn't trapped.
I wasn't helpless.
I was free, and I didn't have to drink to "show them."
This wasn't "religion" -- this was freedom!
Freedom from anger and fear, freedom to know happiness,
and freedom to know love.

Anger rules nothing except itself.




We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails.
Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Genuine Prayer

Our prayer is our life.
If our lives are faith-filled, they are prayer.
If our prayer is genuine, our life is faith-filled.
This communion is the way of life for all who love.
— from Believing in Jesus

**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**

Lord our God, help us to love you with all our hearts and to love all men as you love them.

**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**


We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails.
Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Faking It

The promises will always materialize if I work for them.
Fantasizing about them, debating them, preaching about them and faking them just won't work.
I'll remain a miserable, rationalizing dry drunk.


Smile, it's a free facelift.


We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails.
Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Right-sized Living

Today, I have balance in my life and, if I stay out of my own way,
I try to live right-sized.
I know the difference between my wants and my needs.
I try not to make selfish demands on others.
I don't take more space than I need.
I don't clutter my life with unnecessary "things."
I'm learning to be socially responsible . . .
I try to live life on life's terms.
And if it works, I don't fix it.


We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails.
Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Reliance on God

Our prayers of petition are our persistent attempt to be wholly aware of our dependence.
The more we think we need something, the more we realize that we are ultimately helpless.
— from Believing in Jesus



We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails.
Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

The Yets

Nothing is so bad that relapse won't make it worse. -- Anonymous

Today I'll remember to identify, not compare. I don't want to relapse and go through THE YETS.


We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails.
Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Poem To ThenFart

A fart is a pleasant thing,
It gives the belly ease,
It warms the bed in winter,
And suffocates the fleas.

A fart can be quiet,
A fart can be loud,
Some leave a powerful,
Poisonous cloud

A fart can be short,
Or a fart can be long,
Some farts have been known
To sound like a song......

A fart can create
A most curious medley,
A fart can be harmless,
Or silent, and deadly.


A fart might not smell,
While others are vile,
A fart may pass quickly,
Or linger a while......

A fart can occur
In a number of places,
And leave everyone there,
With strange looks on their faces .
From wide-open prairie,
To small elevators,
A fart will find all of
Us sooner or later.

But farts are all bad,
Is simply not true-
We must never forget.......
Sweet old farts like you!


Kinda brings a tear to your eye!



We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails.
Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Awakening

With a new awakening each day -- new strengths, new truths, new acceptance... -- a new world opened up.
And every day it still does.
The adversities, loneliness, sickness, losses, and disappointments mean nothing to me now.
I'm happy, because I came to believe -- not only in God, but in the goodness in everyone.

A spiritual awakening is our greatest gift.

G I F T = God Is Forever There.



We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails.
Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Believing the Impossible

"One can't believe impossible things," Alice said.
"I daresay you haven't had much practice," said the Queen.
"When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast."
-- Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass, Chapter V



We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails.
Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Wit & Wisdom of Will Rogers

Will Rogers was quite the cowboy, with all the wisdom of simple, honest folk. He died in a 1935 plane crash in Alaska with his best friend Wylie Post. Rogers was probably the greatest political sage this country ever has known. His words still ring with common sense today. Simple but Brilliant and full of truths.


1. Never slap a man who's chewing tobacco.

2. Never kick a cow chip on a hot day.

3. There are two theories to arguing with a woman. Neither works.

4. Never miss a good chance to shut up.

5. Always drink upstream from the herd.

6. If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.

7. The quickest way to double your money is to fold it and put it back into your pocket.

8. There are three kinds of men: The ones that learn by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence and find out for themselves.

9. Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.


10. If you're riding' ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it's still there.


11. Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier'n puttin' it back.

12. After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him. The moral: When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut.


About growing older ...

~ Eventually you will reach a point when you stop lying about your age and start bragging about it.

~ The older we get, the fewer things seem worth waiting in line for.

~ Some people try to turn back their odometers. Not me; I want people to know 'why' I look this way. I've traveled a long way, and some of the roads weren't paved.

~ When you are dissatisfied and would like to go back to youth, think of Algebra.

~ You know you are getting old when everything either dries up or leaks.

~ I don't know how I got over the hill without getting to the top.

~ One of the many things no one tells you about aging is that it is such a nice change from being young.

~ One must wait until evening to see how splendid the day has been.

~ Being young is beautiful, but being old is comfortable.

~ Long ago, when men cursed and beat the ground with sticks, it was called witchcraft. Today it's called golf.

~ If you don't learn to laugh at trouble, you won't have anything to laugh at when you are old.

Walking Together

We are indeed responsible adults who must "make it" through each day; yet we are God's children, with our hand in our Creator's, walking along together in total and peaceful dependence.


We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails.
Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

It Goes On

In three words I can sum up everything
I've learned about life:
It goes on.
--Robert Frost


Place me in the middle of life, Higher Power.
Help me be a person of action.
When fear says, "Stop!"
Please whisper in my ear, "Go on, go on!"



We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails.
Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Blessings

Today, I'm counting my blessings instead of my troubles.
When I walked into the friendly atmosphere of my first AA meeting,
I knew I was where I belonged.
Here were people who had thought and felt as I had.
Here was the understanding I'd been searching for all my life.
These people were my friends, and I felt their sincere interest in me.
With these new and enlightening doors opening up to me, I was able to make the eventual decision to stop drinking, a day at a time -- because I, too, was an alcoholic.

The peaks and valleys of my life have become gentle rolling hills.

H J F = Happy, Joyous, Free.



We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails.
Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Accepting Every Task

Dear God,

Help me find the strength to be effective and accept responsibility.
I am asking you for the strength I need each day.
You have proven in countless lives that for every day I live,
You will give me that necessary power.

I must face every challenge that comes to me during the day sure that You will give me the strength to face it.
I pray that I may accept every task as a challenge.
I know I cannot wholly fail if You are with me.

-- Adapted from Twenty-Four Hours a Day, September 29



We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails.
Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Measure Success

You can use most any measure
When you’re speaking of success.
You can measure it in fancy home,
Expensive car or dress.

But the measure of your success
Is the one you cannot spend.
It’s the way your kids describe you
When they’re talking to a friend.



We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails.
Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

True Use of Speech

The true use of speech is not so much to express our wants as to conceal them.
-- Oliver Goldsmith

Asking for something is risky: I might be refused.
But if I don't even ask, I'll never hear "yes."



We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails.
Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Prayer

I draw prayer round me like a dark protective wall, withdraw inside it as one might into a convent cell and then step outside again, calmer and stronger and more collected again.
-- Etty Hillesum, An Interrupted Life



We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails.
Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

1928 Car Repair Mailer

Automotive repair advertisement in 1928. ... Sent on a penny postcard.





We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails.
Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

The "Narrow Way"

Man is neither a devil or an angel.
He is not pure spirit, but a being of flesh and spirit, subject to error and malice, but basically inclined to seek truth and goodness. He is, indeed, a sinner: but his heart responds to love and grace.
It also responds to the goodness and to the need of his fellow man.
--Thomas Merton, Life and Holiness, 37

Without faith, the "narrow way"* is utterly impossible.
--Thomas Merton, Life and Holiness, 31

The "narrow way" refers to the difficulties faced when living a God-centered life.




We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails.
Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Habits

Our drinking was connected with many habits -- big and little.
Some of them were thinking habits, or things we felt inside ourselves.
Others were doing habits -- things we did, actions we took.
In getting used to not drinking, we have found that we needed new habits to take the place of those old ones. . .
After we spent a few months practicing these new, sober habits or ways of acting and thinking, they became almost second nature to most of us, as drinking used to be. Not drinking has become natural and easy, not a long, dreary struggle.

Habits are like cork or lead -- they tend to keep you up or hold you down.




We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails.
Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Ponderisms

Laughter is the best medicine for life and I hope you laugh a little today ... B-)

1. Ever wonder about those people who spend $2.00 a piece on those little bottles of Evian water? Try spelling Evian backwards : NAIVE

2. Isn't making a smoking section in a restaurant like making a peeing section in a swimming pool? (My sentiments exactly!)

3. OK ..... so if the Jacksonville Jaguars are known as the 'Jags' and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are known as the 'Bucs,' what does that make the Tennessee Titans?

4. If 4 out of 5 people SUFFER from diarrhea does that mean that one enjoys it?

5. There are three religious truths:
a. Jews do not recognize Jesus as the Messiah.
b. Protestants do not recognize the Pope as the leader of the Christian faith.
c. Baptists do not recognize each other in the liquor store or Hooters.

6. If people from Poland are called Poles, why aren't people from Holland called Holes?


7. If a pig loses its voice, is it disgruntled?

8. Why do croutons come in airtight packages? Aren't they just stale bread to begin with?

9 Why is a person who plays the piano called a pianist but a person who drives a race car is not called a racist?

10. Why isn't the number 11 pronounced onety one?

11. If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, doesn't it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted, cowboys deranged, models deposed, tree surgeons debarked, and dry cleaners depressed?


12. If Fed Ex and UPS were to merge, would they call it Fed UP?

13. Do Lipton Tea employees take coffee breaks?

14. What hair color do they put on the driver's licenses of bald men?

15. I was thinking about how people seem to read the Bible a whole lot more as they get older; then it dawned on me ... they're cramming for their final exam.

16. I thought about how mothers feed their babies with tiny little spoons and forks, so I wondered what do Chinese mothers use? Toothpicks?

17. Why do they put pictures of criminals up in the Post Office? What are we supposed to do, write to them?
Why don't they just put their pictures on the postage stamps so the mailmen can look for them while they deliver the mail?

18. If it's true that we are here to help others, then what exactly are the others here for?

19. You never really learn to swear until you learn to drive.

21. Ever wonder what the speed of lightning would be if it didn't zigzag?

22. If a cow laughed, would she spew milk out of her nose?

23. Whatever happened to Preparations A through G?

24. At income tax time, did you ever notice: When you put the two words 'The' and 'IRS' together it spells ... 'THEIRS'?






We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails.
Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Focusing on Solutions

If we are to learn to cope with our illness and our life, we must begin focusing on solutions, not just on our problems.

But this means we must change our attitude and outlook.
We can no longer live as if there are only problems in our lives.
We can no longer consider ourselves victims and hold on to the attitude that our life will never change.
Nor can we continue to be consumed by self-pity.
If so, we will fail to take responsibility for finding solutions.
We will continue to live within what we have grown to know so well: our problems.

Do I let my problems define me today or do I seek solutions?

For every problem there is a solution.

-- from A Restful Mind by Mark Allen Zabawa


We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails.
Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

From Negative into Positive

Here we learned that trouble was really a fact of life for everybody -- a fact that had to be understood and dealt with.
Surprisingly, we found that our troubles could, under God's grace, be converted into unimagined blessings. -

Pain nourishes courage.

Y A N A = You Are Not Alone.



We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails.
Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Self-respect

I was cured.
Three years later I found that there is no cure.
I had forgotten I am an alcoholic. . .
I've learned once more that the decision as to whether I lead a life of repeated wrong steps and steady declination of reputation and character, or a life whereby I gain respect from others and consequently regain my own self-respect, boils down to whether or not I take the first drink.

Character is what I am; reputation is what people think I am.

W I S D O M = When Into Self, Discover Our Motives.



We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails.
Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Carrying The Load

Man, like the bridge, was designed to carry the load of the moment,
not the combined weight of a year at once.
--William A. Ward

Today help me to stay focused on life, one moment at a time.



We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails.
Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Expectations

I can watch my serenity level rise when I discard my expectations.
I have to discard my "rights" as well as my expectations, by asking myself, How important is it, really? . . .
I must keep my magic magnifying mind on my acceptance and off my expectations, for my serenity is directly proportional to my level of acceptance.
When I remember this, I can see I've never had it so good.

Expectations are premeditated resentments.

G R A C E = Gently Releasing All Conscious Expectations.



We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails.
Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Virtue of Hope

The virtue of hope can sustain us through life's greatest trials.
By hoping in God's victory over sin and death, we can more peacefully endure personal tragedies.
— from Real Women, Real Saints



We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails.
Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Believe In Your Dreams

You've got to create a dream.
You've got to uphold the dream.
If you can't, go back to the factory
or go back to the desk.
--Eric Burdon

Being wishy-washy gets us nowhere.
These thoughts are the ego's way of looking for obstacles.
If the goal still feels right, we keep moving ahead.
We know in our hearts that doing what we believe in keeps us on the right path.

Today I will believe in my goals.



We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails.
Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Turn It Over

Having seen for myself that my own navigation served only to slam my boat against shoals, I have at last become willing to turn the steering wheel over to a more adept helmsman.
The decision is clear.
Tomorrow I may be drunk.
But today I have the tired peace that comes from doing the things you have to do when you turn the wheel over to a mariner who knows the way across, but makes you work with him through every inch of the crossing.

I saw, I felt, I believed.


L E T G O = Leave Everything To God, Okay?




We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails.
Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Happy Wednesday ... January 19, 2010

Yesterday was my Monday but today I get to redo Monday again at the Bomb Plant.

An activist email me a news article on contaminated soil in Spain from a 1966 B-52 plane crash with nuclear weapons onboard.

The article is based on a classified document leaked by WikiLeaks and was included in the email.
The document reminds classified ... even though it has been leaked ... so I contacted our Security folks.

Within a matter of minutes, my computer as taken and is with security going through a cleanings and my government Blackberry has been shredded.

I hope my get my computer back today because I am shutdown until I get it. How did we work before email and computers ... manual typewriters and face-to-face communications.

A new Blackberry is on order.

So I restart my work week again. Wish me luck.
Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)



We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails. ... B-)

Perfect Bliss

Sin has distorted human existence.
Faithfulness to God will ultimately bring perfect bliss but not in this fallen world.
Here even the holiest men and women suffer from the crimes of others, as did Christ on the cross.
— from Real Women, Real Saints



We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails.
Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Step One

Step One, in which I admitted I was powerless over alcohol, that my life had become unmanageable, takes on more meaning for me -- one day at a time -- in the life-saving, life-giving Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Take the first step in faith.
You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.

A B C = Acceptance, Belief, Change.



We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails.
Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

In Unison With Jesus

This is a perfect image of the life of faith: to joyfully cling to Christ, moving only according to his commands for our lives.
— from Real Women, Real Saints



We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails.
Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Things can always get worst !

"Life is tough, it's even tougher when you are stupid ."


A man was sitting on a blanket at the beach. He had no arms and no legs.

Three women, from England, Wales, and Scotland, were walking past and felt sorry for the poor man.

The English woman said, "Have you ever had a hug?"

The man said, "No," so she gave him a hug and walked on.

The Welsh woman said, "Have you ever had a kiss?"

The man said, "No," so she gave him a kiss and walked on.

The Scottish woman came to him and said, "'ave ya ever been fooked, laddie?"

The man broke into a big smile and said, "No".

She said, "Aye, ya will be when the tide cooms in"



We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails.
Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Old Prospector

An old prospector shuffled into town leading a tired old mule.
The old man headed straight for the only saloon to clear his parched throat.

He walked up and tied his old mule to the hitch rail.
As he stood there brushing some of the dust from his face and clothes, a young gunslinger stepped out of the saloon with a gun in one hand and a bottle of whiskey in the other.

The young gunslinger looked at the old man and laughed, saying, "Hey old man, have you ever danced?"

The old man looked up at the gunslinger and said, "No, I never did dance... never really wanted to."

A crowd had gathered as the gunslinger grinned and said, "Well you old fool, you're gonna dance now," and started shooting at the old man's feet.

The old prospector—not wanting to get a toe blown off—started hopping around like a flea on a hot skillet.
Everybody was laughing, fit to be tied.

When his last bullet had been fired, the young gunslinger, still laughing, holstered his gun and turned around to go back into the saloon.

The old man turned to his pack mule, pulled out a double-barreled shotgun, and cocked both hammers.

The loud clicks carried clearly through the desert air.

The crowd stopped laughing immediately.

The young gunslinger heard the sounds too and he turned around very slowly.
The silence was almost deafening.
The crowd watched as the young gunman stared at the old timer and the large gaping holes of those twin barrels.

The barrels of the shotgun never wavered in the old man's hands, as he quietly said, "Son, have you ever licked a mule's ass?"
The gunslinger swallowed hard and said, "No sir..... but.... I've always wanted to."

There are a few lessons for us all here:

Never be arrogant.

Don't waste ammunition.

Whiskey makes you think you're smarter than you are.

Don't mess with old men, they didn't get old by being stupid.


I just love a story with a happy ending, don't you?



We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails.
Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Faith Fourishes in the Dark

Trials, temptations, spiritual dryness and suffering are all opportunities for our faith to grow stronger.
We can, of course, neglect these opportunities and allow our faith to wither and die.
But those who praise God in life's difficulties will experience the opposite effect.
— from Real Women, Real Saints



We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails.
Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

A Step Closer

Life is not always what one wants it to be, but to make the best of it as it is, is the only way of being happy. -- Jennie Jerome Churchill

I can take life as it is, and trust that it is just right, just what it needs to be.
The big picture guarantees me lasting happiness.
Today's experiences will move me a step closer.



We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails.
Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Thoughts from MLK

"We are prone to judge success by the index of our salaries or the size of our automobiles, rather than by the quality of our service and relationship to humanity."

"Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a permanent attitude."

"We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope."

"We shall unite together as brothers, or perish together as fools."

"True peace in not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice."

"I have a dream that one day ... our children will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."

"Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to know Einstein's theory of relativity to serve.... You only need a heart filled with grace. A soul generated by love."

"An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity."

"Compassion and nonviolence help us to see the enemy's point of view, to hear his questions, to know his assessment of ourselves. For from his view we may indeed see the basic weaknesses of our own condition, and if we are mature, we may learn and grow and profit from the wisdom of the brothers who are called the opposition."

"Love is the most durable power in the world. This creative force so beautifully exemplified in the life of our Christ, is the most potent instrument available in mankind's quest for peace and security."





We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails.
Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

The Lesson

I spent most of my life worrying about myself, thinking that I was unwanted, that I was unloved.
I've learned since being in AA that the more I worry about me loving you, and the less I worry about you loving me, the happier I'll be. . .
I have learned that the more I give, the more I will have; the more I learn to give, the more I learn to live.

In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.


A A = Attitude Adjustment.


We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails.
Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

First Things First

This is strictly a matter of survival for us.
We have learned that alcoholism is a killer disease, leading to death in a large number of ways. . .
When we view alcoholism as the life-or-death matter it is, the answer is plain.
If we do not save our health -- our lives -- then certainly we will have no family, no job, and no friends.

Keep your sobriety first to make it last.

A A = Always Alive.



We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails.
Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

No Right Way To Pray

There is no right way to pray.

Praying in our own special way becomes a wonderful habit.
It protects us all day long, giving us strength every time we need it.

I will relish my moments with God today.
They will help me in every circumstance.
I'm never alone as long as I remember God.



We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails.
Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Appreciation

Appreciation is the vessel for future blessings.
-- Michael Berg



We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails.
Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Seeking Faith

"If faith is so important to our salvation, I will seek it where true faith first began; seek it among those who received it from God Himself." —St. Elizabeth Ann Seton


We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails.
Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Happy Sunday ... January 16, 2011

Off to mass shortly and then a visit to IHOP ... pancakes, waffles or french toast ... choices so many.

Before I dash out for the day I am taking time to jot down some thought ... or more precisely some passages I have read this morning.

Seize the day and live it well and avoid growing winkle as much as possible.

Wisdom is a living stream, not an icon preserved in a museum. Only when we find the spring of wisdom in our own life can it flow to future generations. -- Thich Nhat Hank

Look to this day,
For it is life,
The very life of life.
In its brief course lie all
The realities and verities of existence,
The bliss of growth
The splendor of action,
The glory of power ---

For yesterday is but a dream,
And tomorrow is only a vision,
But today, well lived,
Makes every yesterday a dream of happiness
And every tomorrow a vision of hope

Look well, therefore, to this day.
-- Shanskirt proverb by Kalidasa, Indian poet and playwright, Fifth Century A.D.

I say yes when I mean no and wrinkle grows. -- Naomi Shihab Nye

Good morning and live well! ... B-)



We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails.
Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Honesty

Only God can fully know what absolute honesty is.
Therefore, each of us has to conceive what this great ideal may be -- to the best of our ability.

Honesty isn't an event -- it's a process.

H O W = Honesty, Open-mindedness, Willingness.



We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails.
Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Cowboy Poetry

Jake, the rancher, went one day
To fix a distant fence.
The wind was cold and gusty
And the clouds rolled gray and dense.

As he pounded the last staples in
And gathered tools to go,
The temperature had fallen,
And snow began to blow.

When he finally reached his pickup,
He felt a heavy heart.
From the sound of that ignition
He knew it wouldn't start.

So Jake did what most of us
Would do if we were there.
He humbly bowed his balding head
And sent aloft a prayer.

As he turned the key the last time,
He softly cursed his luck
They found him three days later,
Frozen stiff in that old truck.

Now Jake had been around in life
And done his share of roaming.
But when he saw Heaven, he was shocked --
It looked just like Wyoming !

Of all the saints in Heaven,
His favorite was St. Peter .
So they sat and talked a minute or two,
Or maybe it was three.
Nobody was keeping' score --
In Heaven, time is free.

'I've always heard,' Jake said to Pete ,
'that God will answer prayers,
But the one time I asked for help,
Well, he just wasn't there.'

'Does God answer prayers of some,
And ignore the prayers of others?
That don't seem exactly square --
I know all men are brothers.'

'Or does he randomly reply,
Without good rhyme or reason?
Maybe, it's the time of day,
The weather or the season.'

'Now I ain't trying to act smart,
It's just the way I feel.
And I was wondering', could you tell me
What the heck's the deal?!'

Peter listened very patiently
And when Jake was done,
There were smiles of recognition,
And he said, 'So, you're the one!!'

That day your truck, it wouldn't start,
And you sent your prayer a flying,
You gave us all a real bad time,
With hundreds of us trying.'

'A thousand angels rushed,
To check the status of your file,
But you know, Jake , we hadn't heard
From you in quite a while.'

'And though all prayers are answered,
And God ain't got no quota,
He didn't recognize your voice,
And started a truck in Minnesota '!



IT'S BEST TO KEEP I N TOUCH..



We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails.
Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Love Equally

God, help us to see one another with your eyes, eyes that love equally.
Help us to care with your heart, a heart that makes no separation or distinction.
— from Celebrating Saints and Seasons



We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails.
Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

Happy Saturday ... January 15, 2010

A cold and sunny day in SC.
The snow earlier in the week is now piles of ice.
We will actually reach the 50's today.

No really plans for the day ... I like that ... but my wife is not up yet.
Harley, Angie, and Sophia, our three dogs, decided that 7:30 AM was time for me to get up ... along with my wife and the three cats.

With at least one cup of coffee in me and time to focus on a new day, some old thoughts creeped into my mind ... I know that is dangerous.
But these were childhood memories.

What was you favorite junk food or treat as a child?

Two came right to mind:
1. A chocolate milkshake with a piece of cherry pie and
2. A root beer float from the A&W Drive-In.

The first became a staple of my teenage life and the second way a wonderful family outing ... a special time.

These are memories that are chisel into my mind ... good times.

As I have travelled the road of life ... with all my side trips ... I have created other memories.
Some very vivid but some seem to creep out over and over again.
I hope you have good carvings in your mind.

Oh, yes ... I forgot fresh glazed donuts ... maybe I should head out and find a new junk food ... probably a health food ... memory.
No, definitely a junk food one. ... B-)


We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails.
Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)

For My Own Sake

I was told that I must want sobriety for my own sake, and I am convinced this is true.
There may be many reasons that bring one to AA for the first time, but the lasting one must be sobriety and the AA way of living for oneself.

Sobriety is a gift, the price of which is eternal vigilance.

A A = Always Aware.




We cannot change the directions of the wind, but we can adjust our sails.
Have a beautiful day unless you plan otherwise. ... B-)