“Rebellion dogs our every steps.” — 12&12 p.73

Webster’s Thesaurus.com lists the antonyms of rebellion as follows: calm, harmony, peace. This tells me that I have a couple of choices. I can fight everything I disagree with, or seek peace at every step. My dis-ease says “Rebel! Rebel! How dare they! It’s not fair! They MUST change!” 

By tapping into my HP I can take a deep breath, realize I have choices, detach from a toxic thought, situation or person, reframe it as a lesson and make healthy, loving decisions based on the principles of my program: patience, tolerance, kindliness and love (towards myself and others). I’m living that way these days and as a result, ILML! 

— JamieQ

“We’re here to bring more love into the world.” — Attitudes of Gratitude in Love 

What a beautiful statement. At the end of it all, what I really want is to be loved and to love others. This is what fulfills me more than anything else. The money is cool. The accomplishments are cool. The fitness goals are cool. But the love – that’s the best! I believe it’s because when I’m loving towards others and being loved by others, my thoughts, feelings, words and emotions are in perfect alignment with God’s will for me — to be happy, joyous and free! In those moments, above even all the rest, ILML!  

— JamieQ

“… we tire ourselves out by obsessing over imagined details of a future event… trust God… We no longer have to worry about our future… all is well.” – In God’s Care

It’s easy to get in fear of the future. What will happen if…? How will I be able to…? When will I have to…? This is why finding and cultivating a relationship of trust with a higher power has been so instrumental in my serenity and peace of mind. Doing so didn’t happen easily for me. My mind rebelled at the silly concept of God. But after being beaten up by that same mind over and over, I finally surrendered and joined the winning side – where others trust and rely upon a HP of their understanding. And now, thank God :-)… ILML! 

— JamieQ

“Good morning God. You are ushering in another day, all fresh and new.” – 12 Step Prayer Book 

I remember vividly how I used to feel upon awakening, in the days before I embraced our program. I would have to get a little stoned or drunk just to get out of bed and face the day. These days I wake up with an overwhelming feeling of gratitude. First that I’m still alive and healthy – a gift I treasure beyond measure. My mind then wanders over the overwhelming array of gifts my higher power has bestowed upon me. By the time I arise, I’m feeling great, excited for another awesome day and ILML! 

“Miracles happen all the time, but they only happen to those who believe they are worthy of them.” – Until Today

What is a miracle? I believe it’s the manifestation of a desire that, at some point, I felt would be amazing if it happened. Which means… my whole life is a miracle! When I’m spiritually centered, loving of myself and others, am clear about my vision and intention,  know that it’s aligned with my HP’s desire for me to be happy, joyous and free, step up and do the footwork to manifest my desire, and then turn the results over to God, miracles ALWAYS happen, and…  ILML! 

— JamieQ

“We are finding freedom from most of our fears… Our faith that all will work out for our good is growing…” — In God’s Care
Growing up in an alcoholic home, I was often in fear. In my teenage years, using drugs and alcohol, this fear manifested itself into resentment and anger, a false sense of pride and bravado, and I became someone whom I immensely disliked. By diligently practicing the program most of my fears have slid away leaving a sense that everything is going to work out great, now that my higher power is in charge. I’ve surrendered and joined the winning side, I love who I’m becoming and ILML!

— JamieQ

“If you are willing to look at another person’s behavior toward you as a reflection of the state of their relationship with themselves rather than a statement about your value as a person, then you will, over a period of time cease to react at all.” — Yogi Bhajan

If I’m totally honest, it’s not so much another’s behavior that bothers me as it is my reaction to it. When a stranger on the street acts angry, or crazy, I generally don’t react. But when I ingest the behavior of someone close to me – take it deep into my mind, body and soul – I have no choice but to react, defend and attack. My serenity evaporates and discord fills me up. One way to avoid this is to reframe the experience as its unfolding. When someone is saying or doing something I don’t like I can simply think “Wow, I’m glad I’m not in their emotional state of mind.” This opens the door for compassion and detachment, possible saving me from reacting or losing my serenity. I love the little gems I pick up in the program and ILML! 

— Jamie Q

“When you do not have a healthy or intact sense of worth, you feel the need to win every argument.” — Until Today

When I first read this page in Iyanla Vanzant’s book, I wrote the word “Me” next to that sentence. It was a huge realization; a direct connection between my actions and how I felt about myself. From that point forward, I became much more aware of what was really happening when I tried to get my way. Concurrently, I began to use program tools to rebuild my sense of worth. Today I still like to win and be right, but it doesn’t dominate me like it used to. Getting better day by day. ILML! 

— JamieQ

“Surrender your lack of faith to your Higher Power, and ask for faith.” – Courage to Change 

 This is the perfect solution for anyone struggling with the concept of a Higher Power – trust me, I know. “Ye of little faith…”, that was me. It was so hard to believe in something I can’t prove exists. Yet I wanted to believe because I saw the benefits others received from this relationship. After doing as suggested — asking a God I didn’t believe in for help to believe in that God — I finally got it. Today I have an epic relationship with my HP, one that enriches me every day. ILML!