I just returned from my 55th high school reunion in Lafayette, IN. As I write this, I am amazed that five and a half decades have passed since nearly 350 of us walked across the Jefferson High School Auditorium stage to get our diplomas. I am even more amazed at how vibrant we still are; how interested in the world at large, and at how creative so many of my classmates have become. One of my friends who had been a banker for 45 years is now an accomplished, award-winning painter. You can see a sampling of his pastels at Ronburgessart.com. Another classm[...]
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Reflections in the Mirror – You and Yourself
0 I am beginning a very new venture tonight. It's an on-line course based on my newest book, GETTING UNSTUCK. The link to the course is: http://www.entheos.com/academy/courses/Getting-Unstuck should you have an interest in signing up. It's not too late! I love offering workshops and this will be similar, just no travel involved. I sit in my study in front of my computer, talk live by phone to participants who can ask questions and make comments, as they refer to the outline of the points for discussion which will have been sent to them beforehand. Ever[...]
I have been a proponent of the concept of detachment for many years now. I know, from my personal life, the devastation of being overly "attached" to people, to their moods, their opinions, their actions. I developed this trait as a very young girl and it followed me into my first marriage. I was certain "you" were about to reject me so I clung as I tight as I could. Fortunately, and I do mean fortunately, everyone I clung to managed to escape. It wasn't until years later that I was able to understand what had given rise to my drive to hang on to "you,"[...]
My last post was regarding how blue I had been feeling. I am relieved to say my spirits have lifted. Many things contributed to the freedom I now feel, but the primary "lifter" was a comment from a loving friend who walks the path I am on. He was God-sent, that day. I'm sure of it. I think God is always sending help. We simply don't always "see" it or accept it. I knew my friend's words were Truth and I was more than eager to allow them to recharge my perception. As I left the meeting, I knew my heart had been touched. The veil of darkness was l[...]
IN EVERY CONFLICT, ASK, “WOULD I RATHER BE PEACEFUL OR RIGHT?”I was raised by a father who always insisted he was right. Perhaps you were too. It became my nature, even as a youngster, to fight him at every opportunity. I felt like it was my job to defend the family against his certainty that there was one way to see every thing, and it was his way. He and I battled for years while my mother, approvingly, looked on. Over politics, religion, even music and the mundane too, like which television shows worth watching. We were on opposite sides of ever[...]
It’s not easy to be grateful for some of the people we encounter on our journey, at least not initially. I very recently experienced this lack of gratitude. Even after years of being on this spiritual path, believing in all the principles I share with others, and having more than thirty-six years of recovery, I was confronted by a series of experiences with one person that unsettled me a great deal. The details aren’t important. What is important to share is how easy it is to forget that God is always our comforter in every situation. I have been a steady prac[...]
Envision how your life could or would look if you paid more attention to it, rather than to the life of someone else. Might you change careers, go back to school, downsize your home, pick up a hobby that you have always secretly longed to do but for which you felt you had too little time? Dream big. Be daring with your thoughts. Dreaming doesn’t commit you to fulfilling the desired change yet, but it is the hook that can pull you into forward motion. I have a friend who decided to take up ballroom dancing a few years ago. Her spouse wasn’t interested, but s[...]
Getting Unstuck is the title of my newest book. It's a companion to Change Your Mind and Your Life Will Follow. I loved writing both books. Actually, I'd have to say that all twenty-six books that have "called to me," I have loved writing. There is no doubt that I am living my bliss. But Getting Unstuck, in particular, deals with the issues that continue to snag me so easily in any ordinary day. I'm certain that's why it became a necessary book for me to tackle. I am continuing to learn and need the "instruction" I get from writing what I hear my inner[...]
Expectations are seductive. They can feel exciting. Consuming. Addictive. And like every other addiction known to humankind, the outcome can be disappointing, oftentimes to the point of personal destruction. Our expectations ensnare us because of our insecurities, I think. We want a certain person or situation or experience to satisfy us in a specific way, and that's destined to be a set-up for disappointment which is then commonly followed by resentment. i speak from a place of authority because of multiple past experiences with both expectations an[...]
I was honored at a Recovery luncheon today sponsored by Hazelden Foundation. The luncheon was held here in Naples, FL but it was in response to the work I have done for more than three and a half decades as the result of my own recovery in Alcoholics Anonymous and Al-Anon. As I stood before the audience to accept my award, I could barely see through the tears as they flowed. How did this happen? All I can surmise is that it happened because of God's plan for my life. That first drink at age 13 started me down a path that has landed me in the most beauti[...]