There is no truer suggestion offered to us in recovery rooms than the above. I didn't get it when I came into the fellowship in 1974. I didn't understand why other women reached out to me. I didn't understand that "to keep what one had, it had to be given away." That went against everything I had ever been taught to believe. My family wasn't selfish, at least I didn't think so; but they certainly didn't believe that giving what one had to others assured us of keeping it too. My confusion then was because I thought only in terms of material possessions[...]
2 A Course in Miracles is a spiritual path that is very dear to my heart. I have been a "student" for 25 years and I embrace its spiritual principles as closely as I embrace the principles of AA and Al-Anon. In fact, I think the three programs blend very well. I also think the level of my joy and peace of mind are directly the result of the combination of all three paths. We all have to make our own choices, of course, and I'd never tell any one else they should seek peace in exactly the way I do it. Everyone needs to find their own path. But I am conte[...]
Circle of Family and Friends - You and Your Personal Community, Reflections in the Mirror - You and Yourself
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Inner peace is a by-product of right thinking coupled with right actions. . .
I wish I could say to you that I have constant inner peace. But that would be a lie. I can say, however, that I am more at peace today than at any other time in my life. And it's the direct result of changing my thinking. I wrote a book a few years back titled: Change Your Mind and Your Life Will Follow. Some of you reading this might have read it. You can check it out on amazon or my website if interested. But the premise of the book is the idea that if we truly want our lives to change, we have to change how we show up in our lives. In other wor[...]
I've discussed topics similar to this before in blog posts, but something a friend said to me recently brought it to mind once again. I could never have imagined as a child that I'd spend my life as I do. I loved writing stories as a young girl in grade school and loved speech class in high school too. For some unknown reason, standing in front of my classmates and talking didn't scare me. I felt exhilarated. But I didn't have any notion then that both loves would play such a big role in my life as an adult. True, I wandered around a lot before gettin[...]
I'm amazed and a bit chagrined that I have been away from my blog for three weeks. It's the longest I have been away since beginning it in 2009. And actually, I didn't go any place. I was simply caught up in the book I am writing and a writer strikes while the iron is hot. I was making good progress and every minute I could, every minute I wasn't preparing for a talk or a workshop, I was deep in thought and sitting at the computer plugging away. I plan to spend next week rereading it very carefully, making additional changes where necessary, and then off[...]
I spent the week end in Augusta, MO, leading my 12th annual writer's retreat at F.R.E.S.H. Renewal. Many of the same individuals come yearly, but always there are a few new participants and they add a richness that's so appreciated, much like a contrasting, vivid color woven through a tapestry in a spot where you'd least expect it. The participants and I have become good friends over the years. And I look forward to this fall gathering with both excited and thoughtful anticipation. It's a restful, comforting week end, one that includes lots of laughter, m[...]
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[...]
I invite each of you to enroll in my on-line course. Tell your friends about it too. I mentioned it on Facebook, tweeted it, and in an earlier post, but decided it was good to mention it again because there is no "too late to enroll" when it comes to this kind of class. The Academy that sponsors the class has each one of the programs as an MP3 download following the class. The MP3 for last week's class is available now, and they have assured me that many individuals never attend all of the sessions at the original time but choose to download the programs[...]
I first heard this little homily at a workshop in Minneapolis, presented by Earnie Larson, a former priest, author for Hazelden Publishing, and renowned lecturer. He was a gifted man who's simple message turned life around for tens of thousands of people. Perhaps even millions. I know that it stopped me in my tracks when I heard him utter that simple phrase more than three decades ago. It told me, in no uncertain terms, that if I wanted to show up differently in my relationships, or in any other venue of my life, I had work to do. But I also heard him s[...]
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[...]