HAPPY HOLY WEEKEND
Good Friday. Way of the Cross. Fasting and abstinence. Examine conscience. Have a really blessed day. ~ Unknown Passover affirms the great truth that liberty is the inalienable right of every human being. ~ Morris Joseph Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song. ~ Pope John Paul II
KINDNESS FROM BEYOND
My dream woke me from a deep sleep and left me picturing his face as I tried to hang onto the details before they began to evaporate. The “face” belonged to Jeff, the guy who introduced me to my husband, the Godfather of our son and a dear friend who recently died. Jeff was also a talented, famous, successful yet down-to-earth musician, husband and father. He was, quite simply, a good man. One of those rare human beings who… Read More
EARLY BIRD GETS TO GO TO THE CONFERENCE
We are beyond excited about the first Gratitude and Trust #140 Summit we are hosting with our friend Jeff Pulver in New York on June 24th, at the 92nd St Y. It will be an all day event with 50 extraordinary speakers. For a short time you can tickets for the full day event for $25.00 using the code jp25 After that the price will go up quite a lot. So this is a case where the early bird gets a good… Read More
FAITH vs. HOPE
Believe in a love that is being stored up for you like an inheritance, and have faith that in this love there is a strength and a blessing so large that you can travel as far as you wish without having to step outside it.” – ~Rainer Maria Rilke FAITH When you come to the edge of all the light you have known and are about to step out into the darkness, FAITH is knowing one of two things will… Read More
FEEDBACK
A musician on stage cringes when he hears feedback during a performance. It’s usually in the form of a screeching electronic protestation caused by … well, I’m not really sure. It’s a problem usually created when the microphone and the monitors enter a level of intimacy unsanctioned by the Gods of technology. There was a time when I’d have gone on and on about why feedback occurs, undeterred by the fact that I was simply guessing. Life is better this… Read More
Bravery, Discipline, Faith, Hanging In There
KEEPING THE FAITH ALIVE
The most asked question, biggest complaint, stickiest wicket of this work or any self-improvement path is always, “I keep trying, I keep asking, I keep trying to be grateful, I keep trying to hold faith, have trust, ask for what I need and want and actively pursue it, but it somehow it continues to evade me. I can’t make it work. It’s useless. I’m useless. What is the point? I might as well give up.” These doubts and feelings… Read More
FINDING GRATITUDE IN THE DARNDEST PLACES
Our little Gratitude and Trust Shop section is growing. We have our gorgeous necklaces designed just for us by jeweler Marla Aaron. We have our tote bags designed by our own Patricia Kind. And this week we are very pleased to welcome Beth Gross- Santos and her Olive Gratitude Bracelet Collection. Beth contacted us, and we we were so moved by her personal story and the inspiration for her line of gratitude jewelry and keychains that we had to fold… Read More
WHO’S SOONING WHO?
We are adding a new weekly section to the website called Working Your Gratitude and Trust. While we all know we are working on things and we have the concepts in our heads we don’t always work our G and T as well as we could. I know I don’t. We are all human, busy, preoccupied and often just get lazy. So to keep us working our Gratitude and Trust, we will start the week by giving you something to focus on. This week,… Read More
EATING OUT AND NOT PIGGING OUT
If one oversteps the bounds of moderation, the greatest pleasures cease to please. ~Epictetus When I was a kid in the late 70’s/early 80’s going out to eat was a treat. When your birthday came along you’d get excited because that was the one day of the year you got to go to your favorite restaurant. Fast forward to 2015 and we are a restaurant nation. Eating out is no longer a treat, it is habit. An unhealthy habit… Read More
Addictions, Honesty, Life, Moving Forward
SMALL TALK
I just spent a week in Mexico with 500 people in various stages of recovery. It’s an annual event sponsored by Sober Vacations International. Mostly alcoholics like myself, the gathering included alcoholics and drug addicts with anywhere from 4 days of sobriety to 51 years. You couldn’t tell by looking that we were recovering drunks. If anything set us apart from your normal Club Med crowd it would have to be the blissful grins and friendly greetings. We love… Read More