"Dreams" "Dreams"
Inspiration
I want what I have now, today, in this moment.
I want to keep remembering I am clay in the Great Sculptor's tender hands,
being designed and artfully fashioned by this life and made rare beyond compare,
being molded by the forces found both within and about me.
I want to show others they can get here too,
In this blissful heart and mind, this state of God-Mind.
This God-Mind is one with His through endless sculpting and grooming,
continual polishing and arranging, examining and nurturing.
God Bless God! And all of you.
"An artful image, a vision for you to pass on if you wish."
...from Sandra
Thank you, Sandra
A Survival Kit for Every Day
TOOTHPICK - to remind you to pick the good qualities in everyone including yourself.
RUBBERBAND - to remind you to be flexible. Things might not always go the way you want, but it can be worked out.
BAND-AID - to remind you to heal hurt feelings, either yours or someone else's.
ERASER - to remind you everyone makes mistakes. That's okay, we learn by our errors.
CANDY KISS - to remind you everyone needs a hug or a compliment every day.
MINT - to remind you that you are worth a mint to your family.
BUBBLE GUM - to remind you to stick with it and you can accomplish anything.
PENCIL - to remind you to list your blessings every day.
TEA BAG - to remind you to take time to relax daily and go over that list of God's blessings. This is what makes life worth living every minute, every day.
BUBBLES - to remind you to nurture and play with your inner-child each day!
Recognizing Choices
We have choices, more choices than we let ourselves see. We may feel trapped in our relationships, our jobs, our life. We may feel locked into behaviors -- such as caretaking or controlling. Feeling trapped is a symptom of codependency.
When we hear ourselves say, "I have to take care of this person...", "I have to say yes...." ,"I have to try to control that person...", "I have to behave this way, think this way, feel this way..." we can know we are choosing not to see choices.
That sense of being trapped is an illusion. We are not controlled by circumstances, our past, the expectations of others or our unhealthy expectations for ourselves. We can choose what feels right for us, without guilt. We have options.
Recovery is not about behaving perfectly or according to anyone else's rules. More than anything else; recovery is about knowing we have choices and giving ourselves the freedom to choose.
---Melody Beattie Language of Letting Go
Life
(Thanks to Branny for this one)
Before you can break out of prison,
you must first realize you're locked up.
What you are afraid to do is a clear indicator of the next thing you need to do.
If you stick your head in the sand,
one thing is for sure, you'll get your rear kicked.
You are the only teacher you will ever have.
There are three kinds of people:
Those who make things happen,
Those who watch things happen,
and Those who don't know what the hell is happening!
You get treated in life the way you
train people to treat you.
If you don't make a choice,
someone else will choose for you.
One hundred years from now,
no one will care!
Anger is one letter short of danger.
Live as though it were your last day on earth.
Someday you will be right!
The best way to predict your future is to create it.
You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.
... John Wooden.
It is better to light one candle than curse the darkness.
All the things I really like to do are either immoral,
illegal, fattening, or too expensive.
Never Explain - your Friends do not need it and your Enemies will not believe you anyway.
... Elbert Hubbard.
The ability to speak several languages is an asset,
but the ability to keep your
mouth shut in one language is priceless.
The surest sign of growing old is when
you begin to regret the sins you did not commit.
When you grow older, you don't grow wiser;
you merely learn to hide your ignorance better.
If you think you're a winner,
or if you think you're a loser,
you're right!
I Have Learned.....
I've learned that you cannot make someone love you.
All you can do is be someone who can be loved. The rest is up to them.
I've learned that no matter how much I care, some people just don't care back.
I've learned that it takes years to build up trust, and only seconds to destroy it.
I've learned that it's not what you have in your life but who you have in your life that counts.
I've learned that you can get by on charm for about fifteen minutes.
After that, you'd better know something.
I've learned that you shouldn't compare yourself to the best others can do
I've learned that it's not what happens to people that's important.
It's what they do about it. But do the best you can do.
I've learned that you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.
I've learned that no matter how thin you slice it, there are always two sides.
I've learned that it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.
I've learned that it's a lot easier to react than it is to think.
I've learned that you should always leave loved ones with loving words.
It may be the last time you see them.
I've learned that you can keep going long after you think you can't.
I've learned that we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.
I've learned that either you control your attitude or it controls you.
I've learned that regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship is at first,
the passion fades and there had better be something else to take its place.
I've learned that heroes are the people who do what has to be done
when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.
I've learned that learning to forgive takes practice.
I've learned that there are people who love you dearly,
but just don't know how to show it.
I've learned that money is a lousy way of keeping score.
I've learned that my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.
I've learned that sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down
will be the ones to help you get back up.
I've learned that sometimes when I'm angry. I have the right to be angry,
but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.
I've learned that true friendship continues to grow,
even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.
I've learned that just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to,
doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.
I've learned that maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had
and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.
I've learned that you should never tell a child their dreams are unlikely or outlandish.
Few things are more humiliating, and what a tragedy it would be if they believed it.
I've learned that your family won't always be there for you. It may seem funny,
but people you aren't related to can take care of you, and love you,
and teach you to trust people again. Families aren't biological.
I've learned that no matter how good a friend is,
they're going to hurt you every once in a while
and you must forgive them for that.
I've learned that it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others.
Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.
I've learned that no matter how bad your heart is broken,
the world doesn't stop for your grief.
I've learned that our background and circumstances
may have influenced who we are,
but we are responsible for who we become.
I've learned that sometimes when my friends fight,
I'm forced to choose sides even when I don't want to.
I've learned that just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love each other.
And just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do.
I've learned that sometimes you have to put the individual ahead of their actions.
I've learned that we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.
I've learned that you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret.
It could change your life forever.
I've learned that two people can look at the exact same thing
and see something totally different.
I've learned that no matter how you try to protect your children,
they will eventually get hurt and you will hurt in the process.
I've learned that there are many ways of falling and staying in love.
I've learned that no matter the consequences,
those who are honest with themselves get farther in life.
I've learned that no matter how many friends you have,
if you are their pillar you will feel lonely and
lost at the times you need them most.
I've learned that your life can be changed in a matter of hours
by people who don't even know you.
I've learned that even when you think you have no more to give,
when a friend cries out to you, you will find the strength to help.
I've learned that writing, as well as talking, can ease emotional pains.
I've learned that the paradigm we live in is not all that is offered to us.
I've learned that credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.
I've learned that the people you care most about in life are taken from you too soon.
I've learned that although the word "love" can have many different meanings,
it loses value when overly used.
I've learned that it's hard to determine where to draw the line
between being nice and not hurting people's feelings
and standing up for what you believe.
Author: Unknown
The Road of Life
At first I saw God as my observer, my judge, keeping track of the things I did wrong, so as to know whether I merited heaven or hell when I die. He was out there sort of like a president. I recognized His picture when I saw it, but I really didn’t know him.
But later on when I met my Higher Power, it seemed as though life were rather like a bike ride, but it was a tandem bike, and I noticed that He was in the back helping me pedal.
I don’t know just when it was that He suggested we change places, but life has not been the same since.
When I had control, I knew the way. It was rather boring but predictable...it was the shortest distance between two points.
But when God took the lead, He knew delightful long cuts, up mountains, and through rocky places at breakneck speeds. It was all I could do to hang on! Even though it looked like madness, HP said, “Pedal!”
I worried and was anxious and asked, “Where are you taking me?” He laughed and didn’t answer, and I started to learn to trust.
I forgot my boring life and entered into the adventure. And when I’d say, “I’m scared,” HP would lean back and touch my hand.
He took me to people with gifts that I needed, gifts of healing, acceptance and joy. They gave me gifts to take on my journey, my God’s and mine.
And we were off again. He said, “Give the gifts away; they’re extra baggage, too much weight.” So I did, to the people we met, and I found that in giving I received, and still our burden was light.
I did not trust HP, at first, in control of my life.. I thought He’d wreck it; but He knows bike secrets, knows how to make it bend to take sharp corners, knows how to jump to clear high rock, knows how to fly to shorten scary passages.
And I am learning to shut up and pedal in the strangest places, and I’m beginning to enjoy the view and the cool breeze on my face with my constant companion, HP (God).
And when I’m sure I just can’t do anymore, He just smiles and says, “Pedal.”
Anonymous
"When God gave us principles for living, they were not intended to provide us with guaranteed results. The principles he reveals are given to guide us to reflect his character, not to comfortably organize our lives. Our highest ambition is not to manage life, but to know God....If the world were predictable, nothing would be required of us except conformity to the world's principles. But God wants us to develop trust in him. If we understood the whys and hows to life, ofcourse, there would be no need for trust."
Lawrence J. Crabb, Jr.
"Hard Times"
Marriage Partnership
Goodbyes
After awhile I began to learn the subtle difference
between holding a hand and chaining a soul.
And I learned that love was not leaning
and that company was not security.
And I began to learn that kisses are not contracts
and presents are not promises.
And I learned to face life with my head up and my eyes open
....with the grace of a woman
....not the grief of a child.
And I learned to build all of my roads on today,
because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain
and futures have a way of falling down in mid flight.
And I learned to plant my own garden
and to decorate my own soul
....instead of waiting for someone to bring me flowers.
And finally I learned that I am strong
and I do have worth.
And I learn and I learn....
with every goodbye
I learn.
Anonymous
"Have you ever noticed how uniquely adapted each animal is to its environment and its way of life? On land, a duck waddles along ungainly on its webbed feet. In the water, it glides along smooth as glass. The rabbit runs with ease and great bursts of speed, but I've never seen one swimming laps. The squirrel climbs anything in sight but cannot fly (unless you count great airborne leaps from limb to limb), while the eagle soars to mountaintops.
Each creature has its own set of capabilities with which it will naturally excel........
God has placed you in his family and given you a certain mixture that makes you unique. No mixture is insignificant!
That mix pleases him completely. Nobody else is exactly like you. That should bring you pleasure, too.
When you operate in your realm of capabilities, you will excel and the whole Body will benefit....and you will experience incredible satisfaction."
Charles Swindoll
The Finishing Touch
"... so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us."
Rom 12:5-6a
"The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ."
1 Co. 12:12
"Nobody is a whole chain. Each one is a link. But take away one link and the chain is broken.
Nobody is a whole team. Each one is a player. But take away one player and the game is forfeited.
Nobody is a whole orchestra. Each one is a musician. But take away one musician and the symphony is incomplete.....
You guessed it. We need each other. You need someone and someone needs you. Isolated islands we're not.
To make this thing called life work, we gotta lean and support. And relate and respond. And give and take. And confess and forgive. And reach out and embrace. And release and rely....
Since none of us is a whole, independent, self-sufficient, superb-capable, all-powerful hotshot, let's quit acting like we are. Life's lonely enough without our playing that silly role.
The game's over. Let's link up."
Charles Swindoll
Finishing Touch
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