Learning To Fly ‎-▲=

The trick, according to Chiang, was for Jonathan to stop
seeing himself as trapped inside a limited body with a
forty-two inch wing span....The trick was to know that his
true nature lived, as perfect as an unwritten number,
everywhere at once across space and time.

— from Jonathan Livingston Seagull, by Richard Bach

Daily Reflection

MARCH 16
AS WE UNDERSTAND HIM
My friend suggested what then seemed a novel idea. . . .
"Why don't you choose your own conception of God?"
That statement hit me hard. It melted the icy intellectual
mountain in whose shadow I had lived and shivered many
years I stood in the sunlight at last. It was only a matter of
being willing to believe in a Power greater than myself.
Nothing more was required of me to make my beginning.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 12
I remember the times I looked up into the sky and reflected
on who started it all, and how. When I came to A.A., an
understanding of some description of the spiritual
dimension became a necessary adjunct to a stable sobriety.
After reading a variety of versions, including the scientific,
of a great explosion, I went for simplicity and made the
God of my understanding the Great Power that made the
explosion possible. With the vastness of the universe under
His command, He would, no doubt, be able to guide my
thinking and actions if I was prepared to accept His
guidance. But I could not expect help if I turned my back
on that help and went my own way. I became willing to
believe and I have had 26 years of stable and satisfying
sobriety.

Words Of Wisdom From His Holiness Dalai Lama

It is clear that inner peace is the principal cause of happiness. We can observe this in our daily lives. On days when we are calm and happy, even if difficulties arise or we fall victim to a mishap, we take it well, it doesn’t bother us unduly. But on days when we feel sad or have lost our usual calmness, the least little annoyance will take on enormous proportions and be deeply upsetting to us.

Daily Reflection

MARCH 15
THE GOD IDEA
When we saw others solve their problems by a simple
reliance upon the Spirit of the Universe, we had to stop
doubting the power of God. Our ideas did not work. But the
God idea did.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 52
Like a blind man gradually being restored to sight, I slowly
groped my way to the Third Step. Having realized that only
a Power greater than myself could rescue me from the
hopeless abyss I was in, I knew that this was a Power that I
had to grasp, and that it would be my anchor in the midst of
a sea of woes. Even though my faith at that time was minuscule,
it was big enough to make me see that it was time
for me to discard my reliance on my prideful ego and
replace it with the steadying strength that could only come
from a Power far greater than myself.

Life is a Celebration

Life is a celebration. Don't postpone it. Grasp the hour! Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Here is a list of possibilities to make your day a brighter day.

Seek out a forgotten friend.

Write a love letter.

Share a treasure.

Encourage someone with a kind word.

Keep a promise.

Give to a needy cause.

Forgive an enemy.

Listen.

Apologize if you were wrong.

Try to understand.

Read .

Pray for your family.

Examine your demands on others.

Appreciate a friend.

Be kind, be gentle.

Laugh a little.

Laugh a little more.

Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth

Daily Reflection

MARCH 14
THE KEYSTONE
He is the Father, and we are His children. Most good ideas
are simple, and this concept was the keystone of the new
and triumphant arch through which we passed to freedom.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 62
A keystone is the wedge-shaped piece at the highest part of
an arch that locks the other pieces in place. The "other
pieces" are Steps One, Two, and Four through Twelve. In
one sense this sounds like Step Three is the most important
Step, that the other eleven depend on the third for support.
In reality however, Step Three is just one of twelve. It is the
keystone, but without eleven other stones to build the base
and arms, keystone or not, there will be no arch. Through
daily working of all Twelve Steps, I find that triumphant
arch waiting for me to pass through to another day of
freedom.

The Meeting

Daily Reflection

A WORLD OF THE SPIRIT
We have entered the world of the Spirit. Our next function is
to grow in understanding and effectiveness. This is not an
overnight matter. It should continue for our lifetime.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 84
The word "entered" . . . and the phrase "entered into the
world of the Spirit" are very significant. They imply action,
a beginning, getting into, a prerequisite to maintaining my
spiritual growth, the "Spirit" being the immaterial part of
me. Barriers to my spiritual growth are self-centeredness
and a materialistic focus on worldly things. Spirituality
means devotion to spiritual instead of worldly things, it
means obedience to God's will for me. I understand
spiritual things to be: unconditional love, joy, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, self-control and humility.
Any time I allow selfishness, dishonesty, resentment and
fear to be a part of me, I block out spiritual things. As I
maintain my sobriety, growing spiritually becomes a
lifelong process. My goal is spiritual growth, accepting that

Daily Reflection

A DAY'S PLAN
On awakening let us think about the twenty-four hours
ahead. We consider our plans for the day. Before we begin,
we ask God to direct our thinking, especially asking that it
be divorced from self-pity, dishonest or self-seeking motives
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 86
Every day I ask God to kindle within me the fire of His
love, so that love, burning bright and clear, will illuminate
my thinking and permit me to better do His will.
Throughout the day, as I allow outside circumstances to
dampen my spirits, I ask God to sear my consciousness with
the awareness that I can start my day over any time I
choose; a hundred times, if necessary.

Daily Reflection

GOOD ORDERLY DIRECTION
It is when we try to make our will conform with God's that
we begin to use it rightly. To all of us, this was a most
wonderful revelation. Our whole trouble had been the
misuse of willpower. We had tried to bombard our
problems with it instead of attempting to bring it into
agreement with God's intention for us. To make this
increasingly possible is the purpose of A.A.'s Twelve Steps,
and Step Three opens the door.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 40
All I have to do is look back at my past to see where my
self-will has led me. I just don't know what's best for me
and I believe my Higher Power does. G.O.D., which I
define as "Good Orderly Direction," has never let me
down, but I have let myself down quite often. Using my
self-will in a situation usually has the same result as forcing
the wrong piece into a jigsaw puzzle—exhaustion and
frustration.
Step Three opens the door to the rest of the program.
When I ask God for guidance I know that whatever
happens is the best possible situation, things are exactly as
they are supposed to be, even if they aren't what I want or
expect. God does do for me what I cannot do for myself, if
I let Him.

Roger Waters & Sinead O'Connor - Mother

Sinead O'Connor really belts this one out!

Back On Line

Hey folks i'm back online, albeit via 3G, but hey beats a blank. i'll try to keep the daily reflections coming.