HELP = His Ever Loving Presence

HELP = His Ever Loving Presence.  I must remember that I can always ask for H.E.L.P. because He is always here.

People say that they don't believe in God and we have that right, but we don't need to believe in the same God. I don't remember where I found this, but here it is:

What God Is

I have seen a mother at a crib;
So I know what love is.
I have looked in to the eyes of a child;
So I know what faith is.
I have see a raindbow;
So I know what beauty is.
I have planted a tree;
So I know what hope is.
I have haerd a wold bird sing;
So I know what fredom is.
I have lost a friend;
So I kinow what sorrow is.
I have see a star-decked sky;
So I know what infinite is.
I have seen and felt all these things;
So I know what God is.

Happy Boxing Day

Boxing Day is a secular holiday that is traditionally celebrated on December 26, the day after Christmas. It is also St. Stephen's day. I like that, of course. It's origins stem from the early 1800s in England where the aristrocracy would allow their servants to be home with their families and would give them boxes with gifts, bonuses and often left over food. Church in British Commonwealth countries would celebrate the day after Christmas with placing donations and alms for the poor in boxes. I like the idea that we give to other in appreciation for all that has been given to me.

Merry Christmas

Every year, I get as excited as a child for Christmas, to have an occassion to spread joy and to give love to others.  I never imagined three years ago, celebrating Christmas in federal prison that I would be celebrating Christmas in 2010 with Kenya and much of Africa.

Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.

Winter Solstice

Meditation - This is a new day. The shortest day of the year. I begin anew to claim and create all that is good. I express my true being today.

A mother's love never fails...

I am so fortunate to have a wonderful mother who cares so much for me, who never doubted me and who never gave up on me...In my darkest moment, she gave of herself and gave all that she could to help me be the best I could be. I love you, Mom.

Never dreprive another the chance to grow through their pain.

My biggest character defect is that I want to rescue others...and usually at my own expense. I remember the story of the family that found a cocoon. They were a family of enablers.  Another loving family found a separate cocoon.   As each catepillar began to emerge from the cocoon to become a butterfly, the enabling family helped the butterfly by cutting away the cocoon.  The other family sat there and watched; they encouraged, prayed and gave shouts of support.  They watched as the second catepillar struggled and strained and had to fight its way out of the cocoon.  Finally, the butterfly, strong and beautiful, emerged and flew around.

The enabling family helped the first catepillar emerging, struggling and fighting, so they did all they could to make the butterfly emerge.  Once the cocoon had been stripped away, the butterfly with weak wings that had not had the opportunity to get strong, just sat there and was unable to fly...without the struggles of life, the butterfly could not survive on its own and died. 

I grow at the rate of pain.  I don't like the struggle or the pain, but I know that I am so much better from the times of adversity than I am from the times of prosperity.

Love

Love is patient, love is kind, love is not jealous, it does not put on airs, it is not snobbish. Love is never rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not prone to anger, neither does nit brrod over injuries.  Love does not rejoice in what is wrong, but rejoices with the truth.  There is not limt to love's forebearance, its truth, its hope, its power to endure.  St. Paul to the Corinthians.

PUSH = Pray Until Something Happens

I am always amazed and ashamed that I often forget one of the greatest tools in my life...prayer. So many of my prayers have been answered and yet I often forget to pray about issues, small and large. I forget to say prayers of thanks and prayers of need. I have had a few handful of experiences where I prayed about a situation where I was completely powerless and without answers. I prayed and an answer came. I also remember feeling close to the universe upon a sincere prayer of gratitude...God is not a cosmic cash machine. God is a power greater than me and I have learned, I have learned that when I rely on "God" and not on me, my reliance is well grounded.

Gratitude in Action

FAITH IS SPELLED A-C-T-I-O-N.  I know I have fiath when I take action and I see my faith begin to grow!

Running for Gratitude!

Today and always, I let joy be my compass. When choosing a direction in life, I chose the path of my heart. Do what you love, follow your bliss.

 

Fun is an underestimated emotion in our culture. We are told as children, "If you waste time, having fun, you won't get anything serious accomplished." Yet most successful people describe their work is always more productive.  As one executive remarked, "The more I enjoy my work, the more efficent I become."

 

Joy and laughter improve the quality of our relationships. Laughing a difficult situations fosters detachment and perspective.  It is only when we get too serious that trouble arises.  (Taken from an excerpt from a Hazelden reading).

RELEASE THE NEED FOR EGO

EGO = Easing God Out. I have constant conflicts that make me human. One is the need to release my EGO, that impulse that makes me judge myself and unilaterally decide if I am better or worse than someone else. The ego tells me that I am separate from everyone else, and more than anything, it fears I am living an inspired life. Why? Because when I am living a spiritual or "in-spirited" life, I have no need for teh ego and have no illusion of being the false self. Therefore, the ego has no influence over me!!!

Each One of Us is Better than Everyone else at One Thing

We have been told that we are like snow flakes; each one of us unique and individually special.  But  I believe something much more radical. I believe that each one of us is better than the entire world at one particular thing.  It is amazing that I am better than the entire world at one thing. But just so I don't become too egotistical, I need to also remember that every single person - everyone is better than me at one thing as well.  So when I see someone that I may begin to judge harshly, I need to remember that the person I may judge is better than me at one thing - at least!!

Most People Believe that the Brave have No Fear; the Truth is that They are Intimate with It - Pema Chodron

"We can do anything for just one day. So, just for today, let us be unafraid, unafraid of life,unafraid of death, which is the shadow of life; unafraid to be happy, unafraid to enjoy the beautiful, to believe the best.
Just for today let us live one day only, forgetting yesterday and tomorrow, and not trying to solve the whole problem of life at one.

Being Grateful

Be thankful for what you have; you will end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough - Oprah Winfrey.

If a fellow is not thankful for what he's got, he is not likely to be thankful for what he's going to get - Frank A. Clark.

To live a life of gratitude is to open our eyes to the countless ways in which we are supported by the world around us. Such a life provides less space for our suffering because our attention is more balanced. We are more often occupied with noticing what we are given, thanking those who have helped us, and repaying the world in some concrete way for what we are receiving. - Greg Krech.

The unthankful heart discovers no mercies; bu the thankful heart will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings. - Henry Ward Beecher.

Live Life - All I Have Is Now

All I Have Is Now - I can only live now, this moment. I cannot erase the mistakes I made yesterday or bring back the good times I had. I cannot know what tomorrow will require of me, nor can I ensure future security and happiness. Now is what I have, and now is everything. I can follow a plan now. I can abstain this moment. I can deal with my problems, which confront me today as best I can, trusting God to guide me. I can be in touch with my God only in the present.  As I focus on the present moment, we live it deeper, and we derive a satisfaction that we did not know when we were regretting the past and worrying about the future. Whatever happens, now is all I can manage and all I need.  I am grateful for this present moment.

Seeking God in Silence

This is a beautifully simple poem by Josepha Van Liesbout -

Blessed

The stars will come out

A new dawn will rise

Day will pass once more to night

And the passing hours

Bring us another morning

To breathe freely

In knowing that we are

Blessed

Meditation

November is the month of gratitude, but it is also the month of prayer and meditation. For me, meditation is a silent adventure...an adventure into my soul. I sit each morning in silence and darkness for 10-20 minutes and clear my mind through a word such as "peace" or "gua" or "om" to focus. Meditation to me is focus. If I lose to win, keep it by giving it away and surrender to succeed, then I gain wisdom and guidance by emptying my heart and mind so that it can be divinely filled...

TUT - The Universe...

I was introduced to a great website - www.tut.com. TUT stands for Thoughts Unto Things. In other words, thoughts become things. Quite honestly, I don't always understand the nature of every day affirmation, but what I love about the message each day is that they are always positive, always hopeful, never obvious, except that they may seem obvious...It is difficult to explain. Also, I am not sure I believe everything that is said. Still, the exercise of looking at something positive so differently is a very good one and I remain willing to CHANGE. CHANGE - Choosing Honesty Allows New Growth Everyday.

Choosing Joy

Joy is what makes life worth living, but for many joy seems hard to find.  They complain that their lives are sorrowful and depressing.  Strang as it amy sound, we can choose joy.  Two people can be part of the same event, but one may choose to live it quite differently than the other.  One may choose to trust that what happened, painful as it may be, holds a promise.  The other may choose despair and be destroyed by it. - Henri Nouwen

November - The Month of Gratitude

BE THANKFUL!!!
Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire. 
If you did, what would there be to look forward to? 
Be thankful when you don't know something for it gives you an opportunity to learn.
Be thankful for the difficult times - during these times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations because thy give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge because it will build your strength and character.
Be thankful for your mistakes; they will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you're tired and weary because it means you've made a difference.
It is easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for set backs.
Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles and they can become your blessings.
-Author Unknown

BE SOBER.

Sobriety is more than just abstinence from intoxicants. It is a state of being present.  I think and speak positively. I listen to what I say. If I hear myself using negative or limiting words, I chnage them.

Pursuing Happiness...

CHANGE = Choosing Honesty Allows New Growth Everyday

A man of character finds a special attractiveness in difficulty, since it is only by coming to grips with difficulty that he can realize his potentialities. - Charles de Gaulle. 

The Game of Life - Winning and Losing

Once the games is over, both the King and the Pawn go back in the box. I was driving to the office this morning and thinking about winning and losing...As lawyers, we are all about winning.  When I practiced law in Chicago, I did not want to practice litigation because I could not bear the idea of losing.  As a runner, I never come in first.  In fact, I came in first once because I was the only runner in my age group.  Then it tuned out, another runner had beaten me but had not put his age in his registration.  When we win, a part of our character is revealed. When we lose, all of it is revealed. I am a winner because I do my best. I give it my all and I don't care about the result.

ACTION = Any Change Toward Improving One's Nature

My life used to be not that dissimilar to the woman in this picture and I could not change until I became willing to take action. Little by little my actions changed my thoughts which changed my feelings which changed my nature.

True Tolerance

I must suspend my judgment to stay sober.  If I start judging others, the next thing I know I am better or worse than everyone.  There is an old Hasidic saying, "In everyone, there is something precious found in no one else; so honor each man for what is hidden within him - for what he had and none of his fellows.

Never forget the pain ends...

Young people commit suicide because they do not realize that pain ends...They think their lives will never change.  When I was indicted for my mistakes, I though that my life would be over...I had no idea that it would be better than ever. I know today that pain ends.  I can endure anything today because I know that pain ends.

Miracles

If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly; our whole life would change. - Buddha

Let Go and Let God

Some days we might ask our selves, Is it worth it? We feel alone. No one seems to care. Life seems hard. Recovery seems hard.  This is when I need ot slow down and look at my program of recovery.  Am I creating false expectations of myself or others? Do I want control? Am I taking on the problems of the world?

I need to remember that not all problems are my problems. All work is not my work.  I cannot have evertying the way I want it.  But I can do my part and let the rest go.

Chicago Marathon 10-10-10

On 1-10-10 I ran the Disney Marathon in Orlando, Florida.  I did not think I could ever accomplish such a feat, but I practiced and trained and learned how to overcome doubt and pain.  On 10-10-10, I ran the Chicago Marathon and came home to do what I never imagined I would ever do.  I raised money for GUA Africa and I accomplished a previously unattainable goal.  Around the 10th mile, I ran past the condominium building where I had purchased my first home and I looked up at my balcomy with sadness, shame and some release...suddenly, out of the right corner of my eye, I saw a sign that said "RUN STEVE RUN!!!".  It was not for me, but I took the message and ran!!!! I am home.

October...the Month of Preseverance

Adversity, and perseverance and all these things can shape you. They can give you a value and a self-esteem that is priceless. - Scott Hamilton

 

But the person who scored well on an SAT will not necessarily be the best doctor or the best lawyer or the best businessman. These tests do not measure character, leadership, creativity, perseverance. - William J. Wilson

By perseverance the snail reached the ark. - Charles Spurgeon

Courage and perseverance have a magical talisman, before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish into air. - John Quincy Adams
Everything that I've ever been able to accomplish in skating and in life has come out of adversity and perseverance.  - Scott Hamilton

Failure after long perseverance is much grander than never to have a striving good enough to be called a failure. - George Eliot

Football is like life - it requires perseverance, self-denial, hard work, sacrifice, dedication and respect for authority. - Vince Lombardi

Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance. - Samuel Johnson

I do not think that there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature. - John D. Rockefeller

I don't know what keeps me going. Sometimes I wonder... I think it's just pure perseverance and wanting to succeed and having that burning desire to always have success. - Tanya Tucker

I learned patience, perseverance, and dedication. Now I really know myself, and I know my voice. It's a voice of pain and victory. - Anthony Hamilton

I need a teacher quite as much as Helen. I know the education of this child will be the distinguishing event of my life, if I have the brains and perseverance to accomplish it. - Anne Sullivan Macy

I pray they will carry on in spite of that dreadful monster prejudice, and with patience, courage, fortitude and perseverance achieve success for themselves. - Major Taylor

I wish the Peace Corps and its volunteers continued success and perseverance. We are grateful for their contributions to society and dedication to providing assistance where it is needed. May the Peace Corps continue its legacy of service, both at home and abroad. - Kenny Marchant

I'll admit that it's not easy to get an agent, but becoming successful in anything requires perseverance. -Nicholas Sparks

If we bestow but a very little attention to the economy of the animal creation, we shall find manifest examples of premeditation, perseverance, resolution, and consumate artifice, in order to effect their purpose. - William Bartram

If you wish to succeed in life, make perseverance your bosom friend, experience your wise counselor, caution your elder brother, and hope your guardian genius. - Joseph Addison

Rainy days nourish the earth; rain in our lives nourish our souls

Rainy days can seem like life sometimes - dreary and oppressively depressing.  But we forget that the sun is shinging above the clouds. Rain is necessary for the life of the earth and rain in the form of challenges and problems nurish our souls.  This type of rain helps us grow and become stronger.  And just like the sun shining above the clouds, I believe my Creator is standing above my challenges and problems helping me, protecting me and supporting me.

What is the meaning of life?

Whatever you want it to be. - James Frey.

I've got a reason to be on this earth, 'cause I know more than many what a life is worth.

Alvin Ailey's Revelations - Section 1: Pilgrim of Sorrow

Young people commit suicide because they forget that pain ends

We Lose to Win! Never Give Up! Never Give In!!!

Recovery Run Daytona Beach - Divine Abundance

When you go down to the seashore, you  find what is practically an umlimited supply of eas water at your disposal.  There are billions upon billions of gallons there, but the amount that you can carry away will depend upon the vessel with which you have provided yourself. If you take a 10 galloon can, you can get ten gallowns, but if you take only a pint pot you can take away only a pint, and if you have nothing bigger than a thimble, you would not be able to take away more than a thimbleful. 

So it is with divine abundance.  The only limit is hte limit of our capacity to receive.

"Thos openst thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing". (Psalm 145:16).

This is from the November 21 reading from "Around the year with Emmet Fox".

Dreams rarely come true for those without the courage to feel worthy of them.

Reaching Your Dream Takes Courage

Courage is admitting that you're afraid and facing that fear directly. It's being strong enough to ask for help and humble enough to accept it.

Courage is standing up for what you believe in without worrying about the opinions of others. It's following your own heart, living your own life, and settling for nothing less than the best for yourself.

Courage is daring to take a first step, a big leap, or a different path. It's attempting to do something that no one has done before and all others thought impossible.

Courage is keeping heart in the face of disappointment and looking at defeat not as an end but as a new beginning. It's believing that things will ultimately get better even as they get worse.

Courage is being responsible for your own actions and admitting your own mistakes without placing blame on others. It's relying not on others for your success, but on your own skills and efforts.
Courage is refusing to quit even when you're intimidated by impossibility. It's choosing a goal, sticking with it, and finding solutions to the problems.

Courage is thinking big, aiming high, and shooting far. It's taking a dream and doing anything, risking everything, and stopping at nothing to it make it a reality.

~ Caroline Kent ~

What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?

Impossible is Nothing...

"Impossible is nothing..." is a phrase uttered by a young Rwandan boy in a movie called "Africa United" which also starred my friend, Emmanuel Jal.  It is a line purportedly uttered by Mohammed Ali.  While "Nothing is Impossible" is ubiquitous in speach and thought, it has lost its power.  However, the term "Impossible can be I'm Possible, it is nothing!!

Summer's End...Life goes on...

As summer ends, I see the end of growth.  I feel a little depressed that I have not accomplished more, but I look forward to the rest. I remember that I should not dwell too much in the mistakes, faults and failures of the past.  I need to let go of shame and remorse and contempt for myself.  With God's help, I can develop a new self-respect.  If I don't respect myself, others will not either. I ran a race, I stumbled and fell, I have risen again and now I press on toward the goal of a better life.  I do not stay to examine the spot where I fell, only feel sorry for the delay, the shortsightedness that prevented me from seeing the real goal sooner.

Sober Life is an Adventure...

Character consists of what you do on the third and fourth tries. - James A. Michener.  I have made so many mistakes in my life.  Mostly I went to great lengths never to fail.  Today, I take my sober life like an adventure.  Today, I wourk to make amends, to clean house, to be of love and service, to trust God....To live the adventure!!

Lose To Win

Extra Weight - I want to loose 25 pounds!

If we make food choices from a place of love and awareness we will nurture ourselves with the foods our body really needs.  Our bodies are like living temples, and deserve all the love and care we can give them. Amazingly flexible and strong, they allow us to experience the world. If we notice that we are not feeling our best, that we have put on extra weight, or that our favorite clothes do nott fit, we can make the choice to be good to ourselves in a new way today.

There are times we become conscious of a deeper hunger that will not be satisfied physically. We can make a new, healthier choice for ourselves in any moment, regardless of the hour, day, week or month. And when we make the choice lovingly, we work from a creative place of improving our lives and nurturing the best within us, so there is no need to punish ourselves. From this place, we can be gently honest with ourselves about the reasons we want to eat certain foods. We can reach out to doctors to help us determine if our bodies are out of balance at a level that requires something other than basic nutrients. We can also reach out to our friends for support and to share the journey of health, which is just another part of our adventure on the physical plane.

When we treat ourselves and our bodies as we would a trusted and loyal companion, we keep our energy free from negative thoughts that would complicate our journey. Our bodies are not our enemies, and we are not fighting a battle. Instead, we are investing our love and attention into the care and support of a beautiful creation - ourselves.

We don't have to be the best; we just have to do our best

I run and I do many things poorly.  I have run over 50 races yet I am slow.  I practice law and I am not the best.  Today, I cannot practice law because of serious mistakes that I made when I was so sick with my alcoholism.  I was very ill and quite insane.  Today I am sober, my sanity has returned.  I am better than I have ever been in my life...still, I am not the best.  But today, I do my best. "Nothing would be done at all if a man waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault with it." - Cardinal Newman.

The Best Beginning to any Adventure is when we discover our brokenness.

He knows not is own strength that hath not met adveristy - Ben Jonson, English dramatist.  I thought when I suffered complete and utter defeat in every area of my life, that my life would never be good again.  In fact, the good just got started! 

Life is a Daring Adventure...

Circumstances - People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are.  I don't believe in circumstances.  The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for cirucmstances they want and make them. - George Bernard Shaw.  I run, I swim and I cycle to take part in the adventure of life - sometinmes I like it and that is good.  Sometimes I don't like it and that is even better!!

A New Day and A New Week

"We can do anything for just one day. So, just for today, let us be unafraid, unafraid of life,unafraid of death, which is the shadow of life; unafraid to be happy, unafraid to enjoy the beautiful, to believe the best.

 

Just for today let us live one day only, forgetting yesterday and tomorrow, and not trying to solve the whole problem of life at one.