What I Learned from David L. Byrd

From his post A Simple Gift


I keyed in on the word acceptance.

"Acceptance of what is - will always lead to a state of inner balance and harmony;

Acceptance does not mean agreement or acquiescence, it does not suggest complacency - it does not imply that inaction in the face of injustice is even a
choice to be considered.

Acceptance provides a platform for clear headed, assertive address of life’s
vicissitudes.

Acceptance is one of the greatest personal characteristics."

When I am practicing acceptance what serenity it brings. Notice I said "when I am practicing acceptance." With some things it seems to come fairly easily. Can't do much about the weather. Acceptance. Can't change who my family is. Acceptance. But when it comes to the people closest to me why is it such a struggle? I am a mother, I want good things for my child. He is now a teenager and what he thinks is "good" and what I think is "good" are from alternate universes. So where is the acceptance? It is out there waiting for me. It takes me some time to get there but ultimately when it comes to others I don't have much of a choice. Acceptance IS the key. Getting there quicker is my goal.

David's words describing acceptance are extremely helpful. I am always in such awe of people who can us words to describe things. What a gift to help people understand a concept clearly. I will gladly accept A Simple Gift and hopefully will be able to pass those concepts on to another with clarity.

Thank you David!

Connect with David
SEGUE

What I Learned from Rabbi Yisrael Pinson

From the post Humility & Gratitude

I learned not only does Rabbi Pinson have a sense of humor but also of HODU. The Hebrew word for turkey is HODU which means "be grateful."

As my son reads from The Power he speaks frequently how we need to be grateful. He catches me complaining in conversation and has no fear in correcting my attitude. What a gift.

So Rabbi Pinson speaks of the need to pray and meditate in order to have a conscious contact with God. He says his secret to this connection is his humility. I have heard it said that if you claim your humble you must really not be humble. But in this case that statement is truly wrong as I see the connection clearly. What I learned is you are humbling yourself when you know your NOT God. The act of prayer and meditation is living the belief that I am NOT God. I can have the humility to know that a greater force is in charge.

I love that gratitude and humility go hand in hand. That you can not have one without the other. If you have not read his post you must, I can not explain it in any way that will give his words justice.

Thank you for teaching me these lessons Rabbi Pinson!

Connect with Rabbi Pinson

Daniel B. Sobel Friendship House
thefriendshiphouse.org
JewishRecovery.org
JewsInTheRooms.com
twitter.com/RecoveryRabbi
facebook.com/JewishRecovery

What I Learned from Carol Ann Preston

From her post Listening to God

If you have not read her post you may be wondering what a dog has to do with prayer and meditation. Well Carol Ann taught me what I have heard a million times. "In all our affairs."

"When we retire at night" is the line of discussion in her post Listening to God. Those resentments which we carry will make us sick.

My experience is that with a few years of recovery under my belt I have really worked through all the BIG resentments. Those I carried for years. If they pop up I know immediately and can work through them quickly. But what I, like Carol Ann forget is "when we retire at night" to look for and at those small resentments over silly things. Usually my evening prayers are for others and towards the character defect du jour. When reading her post I realized I have never prayed for those small resentments like my son not picking up after himself or my husband leaving my gas tank on E just for me. Yes I just MIGHT need to look at myself and how those little life resentments contribute to my character defects.

It is amazing how much I can learn from others when I open myself up. How things seem so much simpler when the Steps are applied.

So tonight I pray for my husband, son and yes our doggies too. For I know the resentment of the dog hair, chewed shoes, vet bills and constant care needed. I also, like Carol Ann know the blessings these animals bring, the laughter, the company and unconditional love. For all the unimportant resentments such as walking in the cold and rain, picking up dirty laundry and wiping yet another crumby counter, I will pray. I will remember to be grateful.

Thank you Carol Ann!

Connect with Carol Ann Preston
Remembering Who We Are
Amazon.com
Room for Healing

What I Learned from Rabbi Shais Taub

From the post A New Year

I have to start off by saying I love the name Chaya Mushka and the fact that it means "the spice of life." I will certainly have to name a set of beads after Chaya Mushka. Thanks for sharing that with us. LOVE IT!

On a more serious note I have two parts of this post that I would like to share on.

The first is from these words...

"When we remember to let G-d do His thing, and we just focus on doing our thing, then change becomes much more fluid, much more peaceful. In other words, life's gonna change regardless. How I deal with change is all in my head."

For me it is ALWAYS that darn "remember" word that gets in my way. If I could just remember to do EVERYTHING I have learned all the time, well, wishful thinking. That fact is I am human and do need to put into place ways of being mindful so I can "let G-d do His thing" and stay out of the way. There is such comfort in that process. And how true, life is going to change, I can not stop those changes. Those changes that I resist are usually what is best for me and I could not even see it. It is only in hindsight that I realize the change was good for me. So to get out of the way and focus on doing my thing allows the process to be "fluid" and "peaceful." Now I just need to "remember."


The second part in this post that jumps out at me is...

"Having a head of change also means being able to quickly let go of opinions that I fought so hard to hold on to. I ask G-d to give me the maturity to realize when my outlook has been wrong and to quickly, gracefully move away from old ideas and thoughts."

Wow! I need this repeated to me regularly. For my closest relationship, which is with my husband, I need to use these words. I can daily ask "God give me the maturity to realize when my outlook is wrong and to be open to new thoughts and ideas." Done, new morning prayer. But the part that gets me is "that I fought so hard to hold on to." The visual I get from those words is not pretty. It is so much easier to let go. I just need help getting there. Pray hard.


Thank you Rabbi Taub!

Connect with Rabbi Shais Taub...
http://www.chasidicthought.com/

What I Learned from Gail DeWitt

View 2010 posts from Gail

I think the biggest thing I learned from Gail's posts is the difference between affirmative prayer and visioning. In some ways it reminds me of when they say prayer is talking to God and meditation is listening to God. These are the two lines that really spoke to me...

"In this process you becomes centered in your intuitive mind, opening to God’s ever-present inspiration and guidance, and ask that God enlighten you on some need or desire. This is a conscious act of being open to the best God has for you."

I always want to remain open to the best that God has for me. As I am human I frequently fall into the trap of thinking I know what is best for me.

Another thing I love is specific instructions. I love and need instruction. Whenever there are instructions I follow them. Even when I do things around the house I like instructions. How to get a ink stain out of a wool carpet? I look for instructions. How to make a cornice for my window? I look for instructions. And for anyone else like me looking to learn how to deeper connect with their HP instructions for the visioning process is a gift.

Thanks Gail!

Connect with Gail...
http://www.conscious-contact.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Conscious-Contact/64237559102
http://www.myspace.com/spiritualpractice

A Simple Gift

The Gift of

A Conversation with a Wise Man

We are all on the same path, headed for the same ultimate destination. Some began the journey sooner, some later. There are of course crossroads and interchanges that take us off in directions that lead nowhere or that after much traverse bring us back to the path upon which we began.

With this understanding;

Be kind to one another.

Do not judge or condemn for this inevitably results in bitterness and remorse

Rather honor and respect each other Recognize that it is a privilege to interact

with each person that crosses your path.

Esteem given to others most assuredly fuels the esteem of self.

Time is precious, each moment an opportunity to be more, to do more, to love more. Service to our fellows is time not wasted on self and always reaps great reward.

Acceptance of what is - will always lead to a state of inner balance and harmony;

Acceptance does not mean agreement or acquiescence, it does not suggest

complacency - it does not imply that inaction in the face of injustice is even a

choice to be considered.

Acceptance provides a platform for clear headed, assertive address of life’s

vicissitudes.

Acceptance is one of the greatest personal characteristics.

Be patient; everything in this world is governed by the law of seedtime and

harvest time.Though a sprig of parsley may sprout quickly it also withers in the

face of the slightest adversity. An oak tree takes years to develop and is able to

withstand the fiercest of storms.

Never be haughty, pride inevitably destroys relationships and is never attractive.
Rather allow humility to be your guiding principle. Once a good deed has been done,once a kindness shown,retreat back into the shadows seeking nothing in return.

Allow yourself, in fact encourage yourself to continuously grow, mentally,
emotionally and spiritually. Though this requires constant change it is a key in
becoming and remaining happy.

Let your love flow unabated to the world. When given without reservation,
without any condition it will be like a river of living water that cannot be depleted.

Trust that there is a source of all things and that by connecting to that source
you will eventually lack no good thing.

VISIT DAVID L. BYRD

Humility & Gratitude

By Rabbi Yisrael Pinson

Since I moved to the United States I learned that November means two things: Turkey and Gratitude. Thankfully I am well versed in the Hebrew language, and I didn't have to memorize much: the word in Hebrew for turkey - HODU, means... "Be Grateful"... And it is also the first word of my prayer every morning. The Jewish Prayers start with the verse from Chronicles 16:8 "Be grateful to the L0rd, proclaim His Name, make his deeds known among the nations".

In order to improve my conscious contact with G0d, I need to pray and meditate. The key to my prayer and the secret to my connection, is my humility. That brings us back to the word HODU, which can also be translated as "Be Humble". Can I really connect to a Higher Power if I think I am a higher power myself? Will I be willing to ask for G0d's will for me and the power to carry it out, if all I am concerned about is my own will and desires?

Gratitude is also impossible without humility. If I believe that all my success can be traced to my own power, I have no reason to be grateful. If I am convinced that I truly deserve all the gifts that are coming my way, I have no need to say Thank You. The only way to have gratitude is when I have the humility to recognize that I am not all that powerful. When I acknowledge that left to my own devices I have repeatedly engaged in unhealthy behaviors with negative consequences, I can be grateful to G0d that helps me stay away from my dysfunctional self.

And the best way to express my humility is to show gratitude. It is not enough to think humble, or to speak humble, but I have to act humble. I act humble, when I act grateful. When I recognize that what I have is a gift, it is natural for me to share the gift with others. When I appreciate actions that others take to help me, I am compelled to take actions to help others.

So, every morning, as I start my day I am reminded of three things: HODU - Be Humble. HODU: Be Grateful. HODU: Don't forget your turkey sandwich for lunch...


Rabbi Yisrael Pinson
Daniel B. Sobel Friendship House
thefriendshiphouse.org
JewishRecovery.org
JewsInTheRooms.com
twitter.com/RecoveryRabbi
facebook.com/JewishRecovery