Today's thought from Hazelden is:

Place yourself in the middle of the stream of power and wisdom, which flows through your life. Then, without effort, you are impelled to truth and to perfect contentment.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson


When the renowned composer Johann Sebastian Bach was praised for his music, he responded, "To God goes the glory." When a well-known writer was asked to reveal his secret, he said, "I am simply the person whom the words came through." Like many who have excelled in their field, these artists know that it is God who makes us great, that it is the spirit within that expresses its perfect purpose through us.

God wants to do great things through you, too. In your prayers and meditation, ask that Infinite Intelligence work through you for the highest good of yourself and others. Ask to be a channel for the expression of the Divine plan. Then trust that spirit will guide you each step of the way, ensuring the right outcome of every situation and providing for all your needs.

You have a purpose and a mission - something to contribute during your stay on earth. Even now spirit is beckoning you to fulfill your unique greatness. Listen and you will hear the call.
From: Listening to Your Inner Voice by Douglas Bloch


I don't know what my purpose in life is but I'm not so worried about it any more. When I was younger I worried about why I was here. Why was someone like me in the world? What could I possibly have to contribute? It worried me althrough my 20's and into my 30's. It wasn't until I came into Al-Anon and began working the steps, really working on myself, that I let go of that concern. The main thing I focus on these days is that I am here. I exist. I matter. I contribute to something every day. Maybe some of the things I have a finger in are so minute that I am unaware of how important they are in the long run. I don't know.

I've found reruns of Joan of Arcadia on the Sci Fi channel on Friday nights. Last week God showed Joan how the things she had done played a part in the bigger plan. This week it was about people pleasing. We have to learn to listen to our inner voice and decide for ourselves what is right or wrong. We can't rely on others to make those decisions for us.

That kind of carried over into my own life with all that is happening around the apartments here. There is so much drama. One twenty-one year old has been telling her business to every one here. She's openly bragged about dating a married man. Now, while I don't approve of such things as I was a wife who was cheated on, what this child does is not my business. I'd just rather she not share so much of her personal life with me. I'm not interested in anyone's sex life but my own and right now it's nonexistant. The drama around this child and how badly she's rubbed everyone here is so thick that you could cut it with a knife. I used to thrive on chaos or drama but not any more. I value my serenity too much. It's why I no longer attend meetings at the Betterway House.

Right now my energy is focused on getting my mother's house packed up and cleaned. I've not very little help in the moving and it's beginning to wear on my nerves. I don't think people realize how hard this is for me. Since my wreck, I'm minus transportation. That pretty much handicaps me. I could not go searching for boxes. I could not drive over to Mom's to clean or pack. I could not bring small loads a little at a time. I had to ask for help.

Doesn't anyone realize how hard that is for me? I'm used to being the one that others come to for help. I'm not used to being on the receiving end. And yet here I am. Since coming into Al-Anon I've been placed in situation after situation where I had to ask for help. Only I don't generally receive help from the ones I would have thought might help me. I've generally been surprised at where my help has come from.

Yesterday the Bible verse, "My help cometh from the hills" popped in my mind. I had to go in search of it in my Bible. What I found was Psalm 121. My version, the one my inner voice told me was a paraphrase of what the verse actually said but the emphasis was the same none the less. God will provide the help I need. My life verse, Matthew 7:7 "Ask and it shall be given to you; seek and you shall find; knock and the door shall be opened." could apply here just as easily. I will keep reaching out for help and asking. I have to have a little faith that God will take care of it because people keep letting me down.