Chicken Soup for the Recovering Soul Daily Inspirations (Chicken Soup for the Soul) (15 page)

E
very imaginable form of loss, disappointment or temptation has been experienced countless times and will be repeated as long as man continues to walk the Earth. Pain isn’t a new concept but it is experienced fresh in each shattered heart seeking a purpose for life’s unpredictable course. Despite our own heartbreaking experiences, we cannot fully comprehend the depth of despair that touches each individual soul. What we can do, is draw from our own experiences a passion to wrap them in tender arms of compassion, cover them with prayer and become, through our own response, a model of God’s unconditional love.

Valerie Frost

The finest qualities of our nature can be preserved only by the most delicate handling.

Henry David Thoreau

Footnotes for Life

M
ARCH
30

D
ays come and go and the beauty of life is lost when I wander through moments unconsciously. To fully experience life I remind myself of what gave me pleasure as a small child. Sniffing oranges as I peeled the skin. Rolling a caramel around in my mouth. Feeling the swooping thrill as I swished down a slide. Playing with bubbles in a soapy bath. The curiosity and creativity I possessed as a child is still inside of me. All I need to do is remember that my ability to recapture it is there for the taking. I can dance, write, play or listen and in doing so I awaken my senses to celebrate the creative wonderful parts that I possess.

Rokelle Lerner

Some pursue happiness, others create it.

Unknown

Footnotes for Life

M
ARCH
31

I
t’s very early spring; it’s still damp and cold. Though the snow has melted off the garden beds, the debris of winter is all that’s evident. I stoop down and pull off a bit of matted leaves here and there, pull back the few branches of evergreen left over from the holidays, and I’m amazed to see the little shoots of bulbs and perennials clearly showing above the soil. I am always reminded that, each spring the new shoots in the garden return and soon blossom into flowers. I also remember that I too experience new growth all the time, especially after I clear the debris of what’s no longer needed in my life.

Anne Conner

Criticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish a man’s growth without destroying his roots.

Frank A. Clark

Footnotes for Life

A
PRIL
1

I
just celebrated my first Dry Decade. At my first A.A. meeting, I cried. I couldn’t speak and I went home and finished off my bottle of vodka. But I went back the next day. So how were the first ten years? It was heavy on the major life stuff; I got married, quit my job, had two babies. How I did it all without my Stoli, I don’t know. But I couldn’t have done it with my Stoli, either. Ten years is a long time, but then not. To see where I’ve been and where I am now is both confusing and clear. It’s ten years that I may not have lived to see, had I continued sailing into darkness.

Julia Jergensen Edelman

When walking through the “valley of shadows,” remember, a shadow is cast by a light.

H.K. Barclay

Footnotes for Life

A
PRIL
2

E
arly on you may find obstacles in your path and have the constant feeling of being unfit. Sometimes you blame yourself for the nagging weakness that causes you to regress. Re-adjust your thinking; take the pressure off and stop beating yourself up. Shame and guilt may flood you no matter how great your willpower is. Write down your trigger points. Replace these negative thoughts with positive ones. Conquer this internal battle by summoning your inner strength and purpose.

Suzanne Baginskie

He can inspire a group only if he himself is filled with confidence and hope of success.

Floyd V. Filson

Footnotes for Life

A
PRIL
3

S
erenity is an expression of my spiritual nature and–much as I might try–I cannot experience it through hard work and determination. Instead, I must learn to let go of my anger, resentments, demands and the need to be “right.”

Then and only then will I be at peace with myself and the world around me.

Jeff McFarland

Nothing can bring you peace but yourself.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Footnotes for Life

A
PRIL
4

T
iming is everything. When is it time for me to make decisions about my recovery? When will I no longer wait to do something about my family situation, my pain or my destructive relationships? I know that postponing help will only allow my problems to continue. I have been waiting for the “right time” to start acting for my benefit when in fact, there is no better time than now. Today I will take care of myself. I will wait no longer for the help I need. The “right time” has come.

Rokelle Lerner

Let your life lightly dance on the edges of Time like dew on the tip of a leaf.

Tagore

Footnotes for Life