1. My Higher Power
2. My Mother and my Grandmother
3. My family–especially Austin & Sarah Grace
4. Addiction–it helps me have compassion
5. My day-to-day reprieve–sobriety
6. My job and All God’s Children MCC
7. The State of Minnesota and taxpayers who are making my recovery possible
8. My kind and longsuffering friends–you know who you are!
9. The Gift of Life, consciousness & inner wisdom
10. A sound mind, good health and the capacity for dynamic joy
11. The Capacity to feel love and give love
12. The Creator’s vast Universe and the immutable laws of science
13. Meditation & Prayer
14. Music, Drama, Poetry & Art
15. My Aunt Lottie & my Cousin Sean in heaven
16. My darkness–it helps me understand my light
17. My light helps me understand my darkness
18. My human imperfection (II Cor. 12:7-10)
19. My gifts as a writer, musician and actor
20. My difficult childhood as a gay boy growing up in the South
21. Unconditional love expressed to me through my Mama, my Grandma and my Sister
21. Trees, birds, dogs, cats and all sentient beings
22. The staff and the programs at Progress Valley
23. My new sober network of friends
24. Sweeney Todd, the musical–it’s my favorite!
25. The Internet
26. Health Insurance
27. Caring people who share their wealth
28. Four Seasons–still very distinct in Minnesota!
29. Language & written word
30. People who push my buttons
31. Growing world consiousness
32. McDonald’s French Fries
33. The human body in all its complexity
34. Therapy
35. My Christian education
There will be more later… I’m just getting started!
Feeling Grateful
January 23, 2008 by John
Good Morning everyone! I am feeling very grateful this morning about all that my Higher Power is doing around me and in my life. This is a good time for me to pause and reflect on all that the Great Spirit of the Universe has done for me. I started a gratitude list the other day, with the help of my sponsor.
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[...] 23, 2008 by John I began a gratitude list back in February of this year. I promised more (mainly to myself) so here are some more things I [...]
Hi Ron,
We in America are so use to being blessed that we sometimes forget the rest of the world. Most of us have so much compared to other countries. I have been trying to not onlythank God for the big things but forall the little things that we take for granted. At night I thank Him for a nice warm bed to sleep in. There are so many in the world that don’t have that or food on the table. God has blessed this great country and I hope that we can all remember to say Thank you Lord
I hope you will have a great day tomorrow and so gratful that God has allowed me to be your Mother
Stay well and take care of yourself. I love you Mom
Being grateful!! That is what I have to do right now. When all things seem to not be going your way and things are crashing all around you, instead of focusing on the negative, I have to turn and look at my blessings. I will count my blessings tonight and thank God for all the good things and realize that I need to let Him take control of the really bad situations that have happened to me lately !!! Surrender to what He is trying to teach me in the bad circumstances of life because I am His child and I know that no matter what happens, He is in control.
Thanks for the reminder!!! You are one of those great blessings, and I love you and pray for you each and every day.
Take care and keep counting!!!
Love your sis,
Shanda
Hey Ron,
Left you an email at the gmail-check it and get back to me. I am praying for you.
Love you,
Cindy
HEY
I JUST GOT THROUGH LEAVING A MESSAGE ON THE OTHER EMAIL.
NO I DON’T HAVE TIME TO MAKE THE DOLLS ANYMORE.
I’M HAVING A LOT OF SINUS PROBLEMS TOO. THE WEATHER IS SO MIXED UP HERE, I’LL END UP WITH A COLD BEFORE LONG.
I PRAY FOR YOU ALL THE TIME. I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR YOU REFERRING TO OUR HIGHER POWER BY HIS NAME “JESUS”. I THINK JUST CALLING HIS NAME WILL HELP YOU. HE TELLS US WHEN WE CALL UPON HIM HE WILL ANSWER OUR PRAYERS.
HE LOVES YOU AND HE THERE TO CATCH YOU WHEN YOU FALL.
I WANT TO GET STRONG SOON SO YOU’LL BE YOU OLD SELF AGAIN.
ARE YOU WORKING ANYWHERE? ARE YOU DOING ANY ACTING?
WHAT DO YOU FILL YOU DAYS WITH?
WHY DOES THIS PAGE HAVE TO HAVE MY EMAIL ADDRESS ON IT? THE OTHER TO I GOT ON HERE, ALL I HAD WAS A PASS WORD. WHAT DID I DO WRONG. I HATE THAT I LOST EVERYTHING ON MY COMPUTER.
TALK SOON
CELIA
Hey Celia,
It’s so good to hear from you. I have missed your comments on the blog. But I figured that something must have gone awry with your computer. Totally, off the subject–are you still making the Lil’ Punkin’ Patch kids? You are so talented with that.
I am doing just okay today. I have a sinus infection and I am not feeling so good. On top of that, I’m just feeling spiritually “under the weather”–I’m dealing with a lot of stuff that I am working on with my therapist and my AA sponsor so it’s to be expected. This too shall pass. Easy does it. One day at a time. Keep it simple… all these little phrases, which can seem trite at times, are particularly poignant for me right now as I struggle. Nothing to be worried about–just pray about it for me, would you?
These periods come and go–this is the time to apply what I have learned from the high points.
How have you been doing? Please say hello to Sean, Kim and Eddie Joe.
I love you all,
John
HI,
SORRY IT’S BEEN SO LONG, I’VE BEEN HAVING MAJOR PROBLEMS WITH MY HARD DRIVE. ONE CRASHED AND KIM GOT ME ANOTHER ONE FOR CHRISTMAS. THEN WE COULDN’T FIND THE DISK TO PUT EVERYTHING BACK ON IT. I BORROWED ONE. BUT IT HAD AN H: DRIVE AND I DIDN’T HAVE THAT ON MY TOWER. KIM GOT SOME OTHER DISK FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE AND IT SEEMED TO WORK. I HAD TO WAIT ON KIM TO DO ALL OF THIS ON HER SPARE TIME. WHEN I FINALLY GOT INTERNET BACK, IT TOLD TOLD ME I HAD TO SET UP MY EMAIL AGAIN AND OF COURSE I DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO DO IT. BY THIS TIME I FIGURED KIM HAD HAD ENOUGH OF MY COMPUTER PROBLEMS. I FOUND MY PAPER WORK FROM MY TELEPHONE COMPANY LAST WEEK AND DID IT MYSELF!!! AREN’T YOU PROUD.
NOW, I THOUGHT YOUR LIST WAS VERY PROFOUND… YOU ALWAYS ARE, YOU HAVE THE GIFT.
HOW IS YOUR RECOVER DOING? I PRAY FOR YOU EVERYDAY
TO GET BACK TO THE RON I KNOW AND LOVE. YOU ARE AND ALWAYS WILL BE MY LITTLE BABY BROTHER.
KIM SAID TO TELL YOU HELLO. SHE IS AT SEAN’S SCHOOL PICKING HIM UP FROM BASEBALL PRACTICE.
WRITE SOON
CELIA