Today's thought from Hazelden is:

Hope is the thing with feathers
that perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the words
And never stops at all.
--Emily Dickinson

We often hum and sing to ourselves because it makes us feel content. It is the melody itself that makes us feel good - words and thoughts do not matter.

Having hope for ourselves and for our universe is like having a melody always moving inside us. The melody may be calm or exciting, but most of all it brings with it beauty and a sense of peace. Hope can overcome the need for words and thoughts and promises. Hope is the melody that keeps us going, the hum that continues even when there are no words to the song. Hope is not a melody we think about - it must come when we believe in the goodness of our world.

If we have faith in a power greater than ourselves, we will be able to find the melody of hope inside us at all times.
From: Today's Gift by Anonymous


First of all Emily Dickinson is one of my favorite poets of all time and I love this short poem of hers. The first line is often quoted in Al-Anon literature.

Secondly I got the results back from all the tests that Dr. Haney had done on me. The good news is that I do not have an ulcer or any problems with my gall bladder. The bad news is that I have an enlarged liver. Now, the bad news actually gives me hope because I've been down this road before. I go back to see Dr. Haney when I come back from visiting Linda. I think he'll get me back on the right track and I might even be able to eliminate the postpone visit to the Berriatric doctor. The last time I had this trouble I was put on a very strict regime and lost a ton of weight. I looked pretty good.