Being Mindful and Thankful

Got a call from Merri today.  She was my spiritual advisor/sponsor for several years when I first started going to AA.  She has 26 years and turned 60 last month.  Both are huge achievements for any alcoholic much less for a girl that grew up on the Yakima Indian Reservation.  I had thought about her and her wisdom several times in the last month.  I am glad she called.  It was great to talk with her.

Talked with a friend of a friend that was in heinous pain today.  Took her out for a drive and upscale burger in the sunshine.   She was so terminally unique that her not being able to sleep last night was “not insomnia” as she snapped at me in my car in no uncertain terms.  I did not have a kind reply to that so I said nothing.  An hour or two later, I got passed making it about me and got to have compassion for her situation.  She is grown woman living in a “recovery house” with alcoholics and addicts that are not-sober with a new bed-bug infestation in her room.  I have great compassion for her pain and living situation.

I did get to spend most of my day living in the moment/being mindful with some degree of humility as described by Dr Bob,  “Perpetual quietness of heart. It is to have no trouble. It is never to be fretted or vexed, irritable or sore; to wonder at nothing that is done to me, to feel nothing done against me.
     "It is to be at rest when nobody praises me, and when I am blamed or despised, it is to have a blessed home in myself where I can go in and shut the door and pray to my Father in secret and be at peace, as in a deep sea of calmness, when all around and about is seeming trouble.”

Merri shared many great quotes with me.  One is “happiness is having what I want and wanting what I have.  I am pretty happy today.  I like what I have and have stuff I like.  That is another miracle after a lifetime of chronic depression.

I am grateful for my serenity, happiness and quietness of heart today.





1 comment:

  1. My name is Mary not Merri, her wisdom shines thru in your blog..Wanting what you have to me in my opinion is the road to happiness and surely recovery, as to the other lady, I will pray and chant she gets some relief from her situation, bed bugs, people trying to get sober..Love your blog always positive and happy lately, but appreciate your comments on depression, it is here and there in many peoples lives indeed..keep up your recovery and enjoy the few days of wonder of sun in seattle, we are bracing for 90's this next weekend, oh, my goodness sakes alive, ciao!

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