For Today: May 17th

Everything intercepts us from ourselves.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

How well do I know myself?

“Pretty well, I suspect,” I answer.

But there are so many distractions to keep me from learning more, from seeing who I really am. I am completely preoccupied with work, family, friends, the economy, the daily events taking place all over the world & brought to me in the news.

Now that I think about it, I may know less about myself than a whole lot of subjects.

Like many other important projects, getting to know myself is done a little at a time. I can set aside a few minutes a day, if that’s all I have, to take another step in self-awareness.

The twelve steps are a marvelous course in the subject of myself.

For Today: Allotting time to the subject of myself gives me a clearer understanding of God’s will for me.

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If I'm too busy running, I am running away from myself. One of the hardest things I've had to learn is how to slow down & just be.  When I was a practicing compulsive overeater, I couldn't stand 'down time'......I had to stuff myself with excess food to prevent me from thinking. 

Today I know that those quiet times are not a bad thing; they are opportunities to reflect and to learn more about myself.  I am no longer uncomfortable with silence; I choose to meditate and pray more often, to improve my relationship with God. 

I've been spending more & more time in meditative prayer these days as I face some medical tests which could change my life today. I can't run away....I have to face what lies ahead with courage & strength which God bestows upon me when I ask for it.

For today, I will not focus on anything but God's will for me; I will not internalize fear but instead, ask God to remove it & replace that Fear with acceptance & serenity.

The human spirit is stronger than anything that can happen to it.