Today's Thought - February

[bluidkiti]

February 1

Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime.
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time.

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Few of us ever think of ourselves as "great," and fewer still consider our lives "sublime." Yet there is no question that we will all depart life someday and leave some kind of footprints behind us. To our glory or regret, we all leave our marks.

Though we may not be aware of it, people do watch us. What we say and don't say, do and don't do, all have an effect on others. Our positive, hopeful attitude translates into encouraging applause for a struggling brother or sister, or our cutting remark may be the final douse of water on someone else's weak flame. Our actions and words do matter.

Let us look back at the footprints we have left so far. Do they lead toward recovery? It's not too late to strike out in a different direction.

For these twenty-four hours, I will set an encouraging example to those around me.

Today's reading is from the book Days of Healing, Days of Joy: Daily Meditations for Adult Children*

[bluidkiti]

February 2

Dealing with them is like dealing with a porcupine in heat.

~Anonymous

Some days we wake up angry at the world. Everyone annoys us. We try to tell ourselves that we're spiritual people and need to have a better attitude. But still, sometimes those inner voices keep whispering that the world is out to get us.

This is called life. Part of life is having bad days. What is important is how we choose to behave during these bad days. We can't take our negative attitudes too seriously. These voices feed self-righteousness and can drive us back to being self-centered addicts. We can end up believing we are entitled to happiness on demand. We know where these old attitudes and old behaviors will land us.
Prayer for the Day

When I feel negative and full of myself, Higher Power, help me to remember that this, too, will pass, especially if I don't take it too seriously.
Today's Action

Today I will write down a plan for what to do the next time I wake up feeling negative and mad at the world. Who will I call? What will I do to try and turn over my negative attitude?

Today's reading is from the book God Grant Me: More Daily Meditations from the Authors of Keep It Simple*