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Post Info TOPIC: Today's Hope 5/16/20


~*Service Worker*~

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Today's Hope 5/16/20


The daily is taken from Today's Hope. 

Daily Quote: "The practice of forgiveness is our most important contribution to the healing of the world." - Marianne Williamson

The author of the reading shares that we are creatures of habit. One piece of evidence they say, is the fact that many of us can get stuck in a viewpoint that is old, and has stopped serving us. However, we have FREE-WILL! At any time, we can choose a different path... we can choose a different perspective at any time, any age!

What a relief to know that if we're old and resentful today, we still have the opportunity to be young and full of laughter tomorrow. We maybe can't do everything we used to do, but this decision is still in our power.

I will open my eyes to whatever I choose to see today. Yesterday's experiences have only the power I give them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I find that I am gravitating towards quotes and slogans that have a lean towards forgiveness lately. I think because all I see around me is anger, fear and dissatisfaction in the country. I am aghast at all the bigotry and outright racism I see in my fellow human beings. Sometimes I feel as if I have been plugged into a really horrific SIM - and I want out!

Fortunately, Al-Anon has given me the tools to understand that THIS TOO SHALL PASS. And though I may not be able to control others from being hateful, I can do the things that can bring me more peace: 

unplug,

get into nature.

be the Force/Change I would like to see in my city/state/country

So I am going to go work on that.

Wishing you all some serenity today,

&



__________________

"The wolf that thrives, is the one you feed." - Cherokee legend

"Hello, sun in my face. Hello you who made the morning and spread it over the fields... Watch, now, how I start the day in happiness, in kindness."  Mary Oliver

 

 



~*Service Worker*~

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Thank you PnP for your service and the daily! There is no doubt that these times are very, very trying and troubling. A part of me still can't believe that I throw stuff in my car, drove 18 hours across the country to take care of 2 people, my parents, who tested positive for Covid-19 - a virus that can kill and we know very little about...and another part of me debates that premise by saying, for goodness sake, where else would you be and what else would you do?

I will probably never know where they got it or how they got it but I do know they were not out and about, protesting and/or hanging in large groups carelessly! They were wearing masks when they went out, wore gloves and had most things delivered. As best I know, they were as careful as we're told to be, exception, visits to doctor's office and hospital.

Recovery has taught me that forgiveness sets me free. It has nothing to do with excusing another's actions/words nor does it have to do with 'freeing them' - it's for me and about me - releasing negative energy to free up space in my heart/mind/soul for more life experience. Resentments and holding on to anger hurts me, and nobody but me.

And while I know all this, I too am a bit overwhelmed watching how some react to this pandemic. Granted, there is no playbook/instruction manual on how to survive a pandemic nor how to walk through it with grace/dignity. I can say that each/every day I watch the news or witness what you describe, I turn it around and find immediate gratitude that I have a program...I would probably be just as crazy, selfish, self-serving, etc. without it - I know that before recovery, I did allow fear to drive me way more than trust in a higher power or a program.

I am still working through some family issues regarding this experience and that's OK. For me, I've never been able to waive a magic wand or say a prayer and 'bing' - all is well and forgiven. Wish it were so, but that's not reality for me. Instead, I have to do what's suggested and look at my part in what happened and accept what is vs. what I wish would have been.

It's my daily goal and prayer each morning to find my joy and peace and keep it tightly...just for the day! I don't want to give away my power to anyone for any reason, even if/when they are acting the fool, in my face, etc. Deciding to choose happiness/joy vs. being right has been a lovely gift that serves me well over and over and over again.

I have always liked the phrase, Let it Begin With Me. While I am not able to do as many spontaneous RAOK (Random Acts of Kindness) due to the social distancing and staying @ home, I am able to still be part of the solution. I have decided that I will continue to stay home, have my necessary items delivered or curb-side pick-up and continue social distancing until I am comfortable doing differently. I have friends who have already done their nails/hair and the like and I have no judgement for them, only concern. If there ever were a time for me to stay on my side of the street, it's 'now' and that includes forgiving others, blood or not, who didn't step up like I think they should.

This has been helpful for me:

Forgiveness is a conscious, deliberate decision to release feelings of resentment or vengeance toward a person or group who has harmed you, regardless of whether they actually deserve your forgiveness.

Forgiveness is not glossing over or denying the seriousness of an offense against you. Forgiveness does not mean forgetting, nor does it mean condoning or excusing offenses. Though forgiveness can help repair a damaged relationship, it doesnt obligate you to reconcile with the person who harmed you, or release them from legal accountability.

Forgiveness brings the forgiver peace of mind and frees him or her from corrosive anger. It involves letting go of deeply held negative feelings. In that way, it empowers you to recognize the pain you suffered without letting that pain define you, enabling you to heal and move on with your life.

Happy Saturday all - make it a great day!


__________________

Practice the PAUSE...Pause before judging.  Pause before assuming.  Pause before accusing.  Pause whenever you are about to react harshly and you will avoid doing and saying things you will later regret.  ~~~~  Lori Deschene

 

 



~*Service Worker*~

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Forgiveness is something I am currentky working on. I was pretty ill recently and confined to bed. I decided when I had literally no escape that I needed to work on forgiveness. I was willing I am finding myself willing now in a way I was not before I am also finding myself more willing to be patient in the current Covid 19 crisis. No one knows where this will go or how we will move out of this time. These are unchartered waters. I need to be forgiving and patient rather than resentful and frustrated. Fristration is my middle name. I grew up mired in frustration at my parents actions. I lived in thar vacumn throughout my childhood. Then i met my qualifier who brought up the same issues and more. I have stopped being angry or frustrated at the qualifier. He moved to an area that is a great place to live. He kept on drinking and using there too. I have stopped being angry about all the responsibilities he saddled me with. I ended up taking on his dog who was suppised to be his soul mate. I dont think I have forgiven him but I am most certainly on my way. Thank you for your service to this board.

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a4l


~*Service Worker*~

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Thank you sincerely for your service PnP. We are in interesting times. Forgiveness was something I truly learned about here in this program. I still have heaps of work to do on it being a go to response to perceived slights. Actually this is great timing and I think I should consciously commit to instant forgiveness rather than instant offense as a form of defence. I hadn't really reflected on opportunities to forgive until right now as I am currently practically and actively working on my acquired anger issues and learning about the energy body. So. There were some major life hurts which taught me the nature of forgiveness as we learn here. Its not an act we undertake for abusers which is what repelled me so much from even the word "forgiveness". Its not something to be forced on grieving people by others who are unconformable with the grief process. Its definitely not the religiously misinterpreted application I grew up with, where forgiveness really was actually not forgiveness but denial. I'm so happy to have been given the tools to move beyond that conditioning. Forgiveness is all about me. Energy body work speaks the same teachings. At this point in time I believe my test and challenge and pathway out of anger is to not engage in the precursors to resentment. For me, this looks like lovingly QTIP ing daily occurrences. Seriously its like I've gotten so used to snarling not unlike a wounded guard dog, at any slightly malingering interchange it actually feels right and normal. Sometimes it is right for me to establish and protect boundaries. But most times I'm just cording myself to lesser energies that subtract from my vitality; I'm volunteering to carry another resentment. Its quite poisonous. My task now is to instantly forgive slights in daily occurrences. When people are rude, arrogant, judgmental. I will take the compassionate path, review my own personal happiness sources and forgive because don't I also know how those traits feel to live with every day? If I seek peace and independence and long for a human collective that consciously expands to basic human goodness, tolerance, understanding, am I not obliged to stop enabling the opposite traits by feeding them with like behaviors? As I used to say to my oldest children, Darling, you have to stop and think. That's my forgiveness task today and continually. I don't like anger as a constant companion. Its certainly been a long companion. Today I seek to forgive.

__________________


~*Service Worker*~

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Posts: 2405
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Posies my dear friend that was a great share. Accepting that we cannot Control others or the crazy hate filled world but we can make a difference in our own selves and in our own little circles and our own communities. I try to be a vessel of light and love where it is safe and thats all I can do and thats all my higher power expects of me. I loved what you said you were going to do in regards to your behavior and your treatment of yourself and others around you. What a beautiful share
BIG HUGS

__________________

Rose, a work in progress!!!

KEEP IT SIMPLE_EASY DOES IT_KEEP THE FOCUS ON ME

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