Happy Birthday to Me!

Today's thought is:

At 70, my dad is just like he was at 35 - only more so. It's frightening that the same thing could happen to me.
--Jerry Z.

More of the same gets more of the same. What we were given to practice, we practiced. What we practiced, we became. What we became, we are continuing to become - only more so - every day of our lives. We can do ourselves a favor by being aware of what we practice. Has the past taught us to withdraw? Think of how isolated we'll be twenty years from now! Have we practiced generalized distrust? Imagine how deep the roots of fear are growing.

But there's another side to that truth. If we practice finding beauty today, we'll find twice as much beauty tomorrow. If we work on forgiveness today, tomorrow we may be free of resentments. If we choose to relate rather than isolate, we can walk with friends through all the years that stretch before us. What will the future bring us? Whatever we have invested in it.

I pray for the wisdom to see my future as largely the work of my own hands and heart. I pray for the courage to take responsibility for choosing my own direction.


You are reading from the book:

Days of Healing, Days of Joy by Earnie Larsen & Carol Larsen Hegarty


Wednesday was my 37th birthday and this was the reading that was waiting for me in my mail box. How fitting!! I always hear my mother say you can't teach an old dog new tricks and I don't believe that. I see older people come into the program all the time and make changes that enable them to stay sober and be serene. When I was 26 was when I got sober. I was lost and stuck in a rut. I looked to the elders of my family and wanted more out of life. I was filled with a spiritual emptyness that ate at my soul. I was so lost and alone. Today my life is on a path that is challenging and full of rewards. I no longer suffer from isolation from my God and the people that love me. I am sober in my mind body and soul! Something I could not have done without the program and all the many people in it. I am only alone as I choose to be, I am only afraid when my faith is lacking. I have tools and people to help guide my footsteps and am never stuck very long. I am so blessed to celebrate another sober birthday.