Meditation for February 9

Good Morning!

 

 

We have seen too much defeatism, too much pessimism, too much of a negative approach.  The answer is simple; if you want something very badly, you can achieve it.  It may take patience, very hard work, a real struggle and a long time; but it can be done...faith is a prerequisite of an undertaking...

 

--Margo Jones

 

How many dreams have we let die?  How many projects did we start, only to leave them unfinished:  How many times have we promised ourselves, "This time will be different," but then didn't work to make it so?  Negativity breeds more negativity.  Fortunately, its opposite does likewise.  Our attitude will carry us a long way.  and a positive attitude will make all things possible.

 

We are meant for good living.  But we must seek it out and be open to its invitation, be willing to put forth the necessary effort.  Our dreams are our invitations to move forward, to strive for a further goal.  And having faith in our ability to achieve our dreams will make easier the necessary steps. 

 

We have been blessed with dream, all of us.  They are gifts meant to stretch our capabilities.

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I can trust my dreams and aspirations.  They are mine, alone, and special to me.  Achievement is possible; faith and a positive attitude will ease my efforts.

 

www.leathernstone.com

www.leathernstone.com

 

 



Meditation for February 8, 2014

Good Afternoon!  Today is Saturday, February 8, 2014

 

Reaction isn't action--that is, it isn't truly creative.

-Elizabeth Janeway

 

We must learn how to act rather than react.  Unfortunately, we've had lots of training at reacting.  And we're all such good imitators.  We are a society of reactors.  We let the good or the bad behavior of another person determine our own behavior as a matter of course.  But the opportunities are unlimited for us to responsibly choose our behavior, independent of all others in our life.

 

Change is ours, if we want it.  A scowl from a spouse need not make us feel rejected.  Criticism at word doesn't have to ruin our day.   An inconsiderate bus driver might still be politely thanked.  And when we decide for ourselves just how we want to act and follow through, self-esteem soars.

 

If we are put down, it may momentarily create self doubt, but when we quickly reassure ourselves that all is well and respond with respect, we grow.  A sense of well-being rushes through our bodies.

 

Being in command of our own feelings and our own actions prevents that free-floating anxiety from grasping us.  We are who we choose to be.  And new adventures await us.

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The opportunities to react will be many today.  But each time I can pause, determine the action I'd feel better about, and take it.  My emotional health gets a booster shot each time I make a responsible choice.

 

www.leathernstone.com

www.leathernstone.com

 

 

Daily Meditation for February 5

Good Morning on this shiny, sparkly, snowy day.  Here is today's meditation.

 

February 5

 

Don't compromise yourself.  You are all you've got.

-Janis Joplin

 

When we don't know who we are, it's easy to compromise ourselves.  When we don't know where we stand on an issue, it's easy to be swayed by a forceful voice.  Values may be cloudy in our minds, or we may not be aware of them at all. It's then that we are vulnerable to the persuasion of another.  In this Twelve Step program, we are offered the way to know ourselves.  We re supported in our efforts, and we realize we have friends who don't want us to compromise ourselves-who value our struggle to know and to be true to ourselves.

 

One of recovery's greatest gifts is discovering we can make decisions that represent us, our inner selves, and those decisions please us.  We all are familiar with the tiny tug of shame that locates itself in our solar plexus.  When we "go along," when we "give in" on a personally important issue, we pay a consequence.  We lose a bit of ourselves.  Over the years we've lost many bits.  We have a choice, however.

_______________________________________

 

I will have a chance, soon, to act according to my wishes.  I will take it.

 

www.leathernstone.com

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Daily Meditation for February 4

Good Morning Friends.  Here is our Tuesday meditation.

 

February 4

 

Genius is the talent for seeing things straight.  It is seeing things in a straight line without any bend or break or aberration of sight, seeing them as they are, without any warping of vision.

 

--Maude Adams

 

We are learning, each day of our abstinence, to see more clearly what lies before us.  Less and less are we hampered by our own selfish needs, distorting that which we face.  We all have within us the talent for seeing things as they really are.  But it is a process that takes practice, a process of turning within to the untapped talent which is one of the gifts of a spiritual life.

 

We are spiritual entities, one and all. And the genius to see as God sees is ours for the asking.  This program is paving our way.  Each day it becomes easier to live an honest life.  Each day we trust more the people we encounter.  And each day we take greater risks being our true selves.

 

The need to distort that which we see ahead lessens as we begin reaping the benefits of the honest, caring spirit-filled life.  Our unhealthy egos stood in our way in the past.  And they can get in the way even now, if we forget to look ahead with the eyes of our inner genius.

_______________________________________

 

My path today is straight, clean, and love-filled, if I choose to follow my genius.

 

www.leathernstone.com

www.leathernstone.com

Daily Meditation for February 3

Good Afternoon, here is the day's meditation.

 

February 3

 

When we begin to take our failures nonseriously, it means we are ceasing to be afraid of them.  It is of immense importance to learn to laugh at ourselves.

--Katherine Mansfield

 

Perfectionism and its control over our lives stands seriously in the way of our growth and well-being, emotionally, spiritually, and even physically.  Life's lessons come through failures probably more than successes.  Through our failures we learn humility.  We learn to look to others for help and guidance.  We learn how to let others fail, too.  We fail because we are human.

 

When we no longer fear failure, we are free to attempt greater feats.  We dare to learn more, and life is fuller for it--not just our own lives, but the lives that we touch.

 

Laughter over our mistakes eases the risk of trying again.  Laughter keeps us young, and the lighthearted find more pleasure in each day.
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I will fail at something I try today.  I can laugh about it, though.  My laughter will open the way to another try.

 

Daily meditation for February 2

As the day comes to an end, we can reflect on it with the following meditation:

 

February 2

 

What most of us want is to be heard, to communicate.

--Dory Previn

 

Our personhood is denied; the self we are presenting to the world is negated each time we speak, yet go unheard.  "The greatest gift we can give one another is rapt attention."  If we want attention, we must also give it.  That means letting go of all extraneous thoughts when we're in conversation with someone.  We cannot expect to get from others what we are unable or unwilling to give.

 

Being heard and hearing another person is more than just listening.  It's letting ourselves be touched, in an intimate way, by the other's words.  We don't want judgment, or shame, or to be discounted when we share who we are with another.  We want to know that we have been intimately heard.  And when we have a chance to hear another, we listen intently for the words meant for us, words that will stretch our personhood and bring us closer to our inner selves as well.

 

The beauty of hearing each other is that it helps us to hear ourselves.  We know better who we are when we listen to one another.  Every conversation offers us a chance to be real, to help another person be real.

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Rapt attention is my greatest gift.  If I want to receive it, I must give it.

 

www.leathernstone.com

www.leathernstone.com

 

 

Daily Meditation for February 1

Good Morning!  Today is the first day of February and here is today's meditation.

 

February 1

 

You were there when I needed you.  You stood above all of the others with your strength and you guided me.  To each of you.  I offer my being, my love and all that I am.

--Deidra Sarault

 

Each of us is guided while we act as guides to one another, throughout the day, throughout our lives.  We are interdependent.  Everywhere we look, someone is learning from us and we from her/him.  We often know not what we give, when we give it.  And we seldom realize the value of what we're receiving at the time we accept it.

Resistance to what another person is offering us may be our natural response.  But the passage of time highlights the value of the experience.  We can look for the comforters in our lives.  They are there offering us strength and hope enough to see us through any difficulty.

We need both the rough times and the soft shoulders of a friend.  They contribute equally to the designs our lives are weaving.  The rough times press us to pray, to reach out to others for solace.  And our pain gives others the chance to heal our wounds.  We are all healers offering strength.  And we all need healing.

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One of the greatest gifts of my recovery is giving and receiving strength.

 

 

Blaringly Blunt:  As a parent, I must remember my son is learning from me.  He is watching my actions, expressions and listening to my tone of voice when I speak and to whom I speak.  There are hurts I must set aside if I am going to show him the way we are meant to act toward others.  Yes, I falter and as I do, I will apologize to him and tell him how I could have done things differently.  Today is a day I must put my painful feelings aside for another person he adores, be the good example and simiply smile as I assist him in doing something kind and thoughtful.

 

May Peace, love and light guide you, always.