Hope

Hope

If you can look at the sunset and smile,
then you still have hope.

If you can find beauty in the colors of a small flower,
then you still have hope.

If you can find pleasure in the movement of a butterfly,
then you still have hope.

If the smile of a child can still warm your heart,
then you still have hope.

If you can see the good in other people,
then you still have hope.

If the rain breaking on a roof top can still lull you to sleep,
then you still have hope.

If the sight of a rainbow still makes you stop and stare in wonder,
then you still have hope

If the soft fur of a favored pet still feels pleasant under your fingertips, then you still have hope.

If you meet new people with a trace of excitement and optimism,
then you still have hope.

If you give people the benefit of a doubt,
then you still have hope.

If you still offer your hand in friendship to others that have touched
your life, then you still have hope.

If receiving an unexpected card or letter still brings a pleasant surprise, then you still have hope.

If the suffering of others still fills you with pain and frustration,
then you still have hope.

If you refuse to let a friendship die, or accept that it must end,
then you still have hope.

If you look forward to a time or place of quiet and reflection,
then you still have hope.

If you still buy the ornaments, put up the Christmas tree or cook the turkey, then you still have hope.

If you still watch love stories or want the endings to be happy,
then you still have hope.

If you can look to the past and smile,
then you still have hope.

If, when faced with the bad, when told everything is futile,
you can still look up and end the conversation with the phrase... "yeah....BUT.." then you still have hope.

Hope is such a marvelous thing.
It bends, it twists, it sometimes hides,
but rarely does it break.
It sustains us when nothing else can.
It gives us reason to continue and courage to move ahead,
when we tell ourselves we'd rather give in.

Hope puts a smile on our face when the heart cannot manage.
Hope puts our feet on the path when our eyes cannot see it.
Hope moves us to act when our souls are confused of the direction.
Hope is a wonderful thing, something to be cherished and nurtured, and something that will refresh us in return. And it can be found in each of us, and it can bring light into the darkest of places.

Never lose hope.

Author Unknown

Had a group therapy session tonight and the topic was self blame, guilt and shame. It was a very intense session and very emotional for me. I was given this poem at the end of the time and it was just what I needed to hear. I was feeling pretty down. That is my ego. When I got quiet in order to hear the God voice deep down inside I was reminded of all the work that has been done. I have come along way and it is time to stop beating myself up and do some self-care.

Hope

Today's Thought

You are reading from the book Twenty Four Hours a Day Hardcover (24 Hours).

A.A. Thought for the Day

I have hope. That magic thing that I had lost or misplaced. The future looks dark no more. I do not even look at it, except when necessary to make plans. I try to let the future take care of itself. The future will be made up of todays and todays, stretching out as short as now and as long as eternity. Hope is justified by many right nows, by the rightness of the present. Nothing can happen to me that God does not will for me. I can hope for the best, as long as I have what I have and it is good. Have I hope?

Meditation for the Day

Faith is the messenger that bears your prayers to God. Prayer can be like incense, rising ever higher and higher. The prayer of faith is the prayer of trust that feels the presence of God, which it rises to meet. It can be sure of some response from God. We can say a prayer of thanks to God every day for His grace, which has kept us on the right way and allowed us to start living the good life. So we should pray to God with faith and trust and gratitude.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may feel sure of some response to my prayers. I pray that I may be content with whatever form that response takes.

Mable asked me if I read this today and said she thought of me when she read it. So I took a few minutes out of my busy day and took it in. It is true. I am full of hope today, something I was lacking not so long ago. I have found that voice. Once I quit fighting and surrendered my life it was just there. It has probably been there all along but I wasn't allowing myself to listen. I have worked hard at staying in today and making plans but not planning outcomes. Something is working in my life that wasn't there before and my fear has diminished. I do pray with gratitude, faith and trust these days. I am grateful to the example you have given me to follow too Mable. Thanks so much for sharing your experience, strength and hope with me.

Patience

Today's Thought

You are reading from the book Twenty Four Hours a Day Hardcover (24 Hours).

A.A. Thought for the Day

I have real friends where I had none before. My drinking companions could hardly be called my real friends, though when drunk we seemed to have the closest kind of friendship. My idea of friendship has changed. Friends are no longer people whom I can use for my own pleasure or profit. Friends are now people who understand me and I them, whom I can help and who can help me to live a better life. I have learned not to hold back and wait for friends to come to me, but to go half way and to be met half way, openly and freely. Does friendship have a new meaning for me?

Meditation for the Day

There is a time for everything. We should learn to wait patiently until the right time comes. Easy does it. We waste our energies in trying to get things before we are ready to have them, before we have earned the right to receive them. A great lesson we have to learn is how to wait with patience. We can believe that all our life is a preparation for something better to come when we have earned the right to it. We can believe that God has a plan for our lives and that this plan will work out in the fullness of time.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may learn the lesson of waiting patiently. I pray that I may not expect things until I have earned the right to have them.

I read this meditation this afternoon and it reallhit home for me. That part about waisting energy trying to get things before we are ready, before we have earned them stopped me in my tracks. I have spent so much time doing that very thing. When I finally surrender and let things happen in God's time instead of my time they always seem to work out for the best. When I try to get them all on my own they usually mess things up terribly. I'm trying to be patient and let that be proof enough to surrender my will to my Higher Power. Everyday I have to recommit myself to letting God will be my guidance. I also have to remember that it's progress not perfection and my baby steps are okay as long as I keep taking them. Today I made a choice to look at my day positively and it was a great day. I had every opportunity to be pissed and have a bad day and I have no doubt that it would have turned out to be a bad day. Having a good day was so much more productive and peaceful. Thanks to the guidance of my Higher Power and sponsors life is good.

Just Believe!

Tonight is our local Relay for Life. We we will be in and out all night as we have three teams of folks walking for a cure in honor of a dear friend battling cancer. He is one of the most courages young men I've ever had the honor of knowing and he has so many supporting him tonight. He is battling an infection right now, a complication of his lowered immunity due to chemo treatments. He has never complained once, even now....he always has a positive attitude and looks forward to fulfiling so many dreams. God, keep him in your loving embrace just for today.

read more about Justin at this link:

http://www.caringbridge.org/cb/inputSiteName.do?method=search&siteName=justinerwin

The Twelve Rewards of Sobriety

THE TWELVE REWARDS OF SOBRIETY

o Faith instead of despair.
o Courage instead of fear.
o Hope instead of desperation.
o Peace of mind instead of confusion.
o Real friendships instead of loneliness.
o Self-respect instead of self-contempt.
o Self-confidence instead of helplessness.
o A clean conscious instead of a sense of guilt.
o The respect of others instead of their pity and contempt.
o A clean pattern of living instead of a hopeless existence.
o The love and understanding of our families instead of their doubts and fears.
o The freedom of a happy life instead of the bondage of an alcoholic obsession.

The rewards of sobriety are unimaginable. I never would have believed life could be this good. One of my favorites is the true friendships. I have met some incredible people, all because I made a decision to put the drink down.