I am feeling so blessed by this journey I'm on. And all I had to do was be a very sick, codependent alcoholic. Lol. Seriously though, the dark alleys of my life led me to the beautiful moments that now flood my days. And they keep multiplying. I have given serious thought to why the "good" keeps multiplying and I'm convinced it's the direct result of seeking to see the good in every situation. There is always good in even the darkest experiences. I wasn't so sure of that fact when I first entered the rooms of recovery. Fortunately I stuck around long enough to[...]
4 This is a big weekend here in the Twin Cities and surrounding states. It's the 43rd Gopher State Roundup, celebrating recovery from alcoholism and other addictions. Throughout the entire weekend men and women, young and old, gather at the Doubletree Hotel in Bloomington, MN, to listen to AA and Al-Anon speakers from around the country. The wisdom shared is beyond belief. The fellowship enjoyed is indescribable. And the food is flowing. Many AA groups from around the area have rented rooms that surround the main entry hall and you can wander in at will for food, dr[...]
I write this post from my study in Prior Lake, MN, our summer residence. It's with much sadness, each spring, that we say goodbye to all our Florida friends. However, in four short days on the road, we get to say hello to all our friends up here. We are certainly very lucky people to have so many wonderful friends in both locations. For 26 years we have been making this trek. Time passes so quickly. It's hard to believe that we have actually made the trip that many times. I was 51 years old and Joe was 49 that first year in Naples. We were "the babies" in our[...]
Our journeys through life are often bumpy, some days very bumpy, but they are always in concert with God. God is every where we are. God was every where we ever were. In the silence. The moments of angst. The hours of confusion and doubt. We simply can’t be where God is not. Even when we feel alone, we aren’t alone. Especially when we feel alone, we aren’t alone. Learning to open our hearts to God and God’s place on our spiritual path is one of the messages we are here to learn. And not just today but every day. It’s why we live[...]
I have found that it’s very easy to deny how “attached” we are to the presence of the others who are journeying with us. It’s surely never wrong to be attentive to the presence of the many others around us. In fact, being attentive, witnessing the lives of others, is the highest compliment we can pay them, and one we should make. But letting anyone else take center stage in the drama of our life is the very thing that prevents us from actually living our own life. Letting any one of the many others journeying with us have the central role on our stage mean[...]
Step Eleven softens my heart every time it’s the topic of discussion in one of my meetings. That wasn’t the case when I first got sober however; it wasn’t the case for the first year or two. Not because I didn’t believe in the possibility of the power of prayer or meditation; but because I had never tried it before walking into AA. And then when I did, I simply couldn’t sustain conscious contact when I did try. Nor could I fathom what God’s will for me might be. Actually, I had never ever considered the concept that God might have a plan for[...]
Ireland was more than I can even express. We didn't sightsee; we didn't need to. We had been there many times. We simply enjoyed the company of each other, long walks, great meals, (only 3 or 4 away from the house), and lots of relaxation. I read five books and didn't even get out of my jammies at least 3 of the days I was there. A real holiday. Picking up where life left off when I went has been slightly challenging. I had developed a rhythm of relaxing while there and returned to the tightening in my shoulders while sitting at the computer. I am remembering t[...]
By the time you read this, I will be in Ireland visiting with a good friend and accompanied by one of my eight sister-in-laws. (My husband has seven sisters.) We aren't planning on any big sight-seeing tours. Geraldine lives there and Mary and I have both been to Ireland and to her home many times. She more than me. However, I am sight-seed-out. I want to chill by the fireplace, read a couple of books that have been waiting for me on my iPad, eat great food, drink delicious coffee, and savor the freedom from working. As I said in my last post, I do love the wor[...]
Good heavens. It has been a month since I wrote. And I had been certain I was going to be more consistent. Can I blame old age? Well, not really, (even though on my next birthday I will be 77), but I can blame the fact that my life is full of rich and rewarding activities. I had a new book deadline that was March 1. I sent the book to the publisher on February 29th. Just under the wire. It's a book of 51 essays I wrote about living the principles of A Course in Miracles, which is another very important spiritual pathway to me, one that I believe is very compati[...]
It's such fun to write a post about love today. I had hoped to write this yesterday but we have had guests for about a week which is what happens, with some regularity, when you live in sunny Florida six months of the year and the other six, in Minnesota. Those Minnesota folks love to get a few days of sun. You can't blame them and it's always a delight to have good friends here for a few days. Since having our dog, Nellie, who is now nearly 10 months old, (yellow lab, in case you forgot), our lives seem more crowded, in general, and especially when guest[...]