“… take the chains, bolts and locks from the door of your heart..” – Until Today

Intimacy is scary. As my brother Robert says, it means “into me you see”. When others see into me they may not like what they see. They may criticize me. If my heart is open I will get hurt because I am a sensitive person. But the only way to deeply love and be loved is to take those chains off and allow myself to be vulnerable. Yes I can get hurt. But I am also strong enough to away from those relationships that don’t feel healthy and mutually loving. Today I’ll take the risk to keep my heart open and allow the floodgates to open so that love can flow freely between me and others. ILML! 

– JamieQ

“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success.” – Herman Cain

Before I started really working a program I made a lot of money and wasn’t happy. These days, I frequently talk about how having a golden hour in the morning gets me into the attitude of gratitude, shifting my perception from problems to solutions, and from lack to abundance bringing me into a place of peace and opening the door to happiness. I love feeling happy, smiling and laughing. I always have. And if happiness breeds success, I’m down with that too. My daughter has her own spiritual backpack and golden hour. This morning she texted me “I love doing spiritual work in the morning!!!” Now that’s something would make any daddy happy. ILML!

– JamieQ

“… you have the power to decide the direction of your day…” – Until Today

I used to think that how my day went depended upon what happened to me, how people treated me and if things went my way. Living in a manner whereby people, places and events dictated my happiness was like working for a bunch of temperamental bosses, I never knew how they would treat me from one day to the next. Today the direction of my day is dictated solely by me and my higher power. By focusing on the solution, love and kindness, together we make sure that ILML! 

– Jamie

” Constant effort is necessary if I am to grow spiritually and develop my spiritual life.” – Twenty-Four Hours a Day

What does it mean to improve myself spiritually? To me, it’s taking daily actions to continue letting go of behaviors, thoughts and actions that are not loving and continue practicing those that are. This process of evolving into a more loving person actually invites all kinds of abundance into my life because I’m no longer fighting anything or anyone. It’s actually pretty simple these days: when I make the time to get myself into the spiritual solution ILML! 

– JamieQ

“… my life has been given meaning, direction and purpose.” – Daily Reflections

One of the greatest gifts of the program is the opportunity to be of service. Sounds silly right? Here’s an organization that LETS me WORK to help others FOR FREE. Why is that so great? By helping others to find a way out of their struggle, by having the opportunity to make a difference in their lives, and by building a network of healthy, loving friends I’ve discovered a new meaning, direction and purpose in AA and AlAnon that rocks my world. I’m building self-esteem by helping others and ILML! 

– JamieQ

“The sea is so wide, and my boat is so small.” – 12 Step Prayer Book 
I love having a higher power to guide me through life. Before I had one I often got lost in a place that was dark and dangerous. These days I stay connected – which for me happens when I take time each morning to read life loving literature, journal, send out these texts and write a daily gratitude list – so that I can enjoy an attitude of optimism and abundance. Then, when fear knocks on my door and tries to sell me his wares (worries), I simply say “No thanks.” ILML! 

– JamieQ

“Sometimes the forgiveness process fosters deeper unity and connection between people. Sometimes it points to an exit sign.” – Hope For Today 

Setting healthy boundaries with clear consequences, sometimes pointing to the exit door, lets others know that unacceptable behavior won’t be tolerated. Sometimes this is scary to do, but I’ve found it’s the only way to love myself, our relationship and respect the person I’m in relationship with. They then have the opportunity to either stop behaving in a way that hurts me, or not be in relationship with me any more. This applies to business, friendship and romance. But if I’m not stepping up in my responsibility to consistently be kind, loving and repespectful, I have no right to ask it of them. So I do the daily deal to be the best me and set healthy boundaries for others. This helps assure that ILML! 

– JamieQ

“There is healing power in connecting with other recovering people.” – The Language of Letting Go 

Actually, it’s one of the most healing powers in the world. When I surround myself with others who’s life loving goals are aligned with mine, my ability to love myself, others and my life expands. By sharing life loving secrets with others, and hearing theirs, I magnify my secret life loving powers. As children, our life loving powers were super strong. Recovery people are on a path to recover those awesome powers we had as kids. Together, we can get them back! Thank you for connecting with me as a recovering life lover. ILML! 

– JamieQ

“By letting go, we invite our Higher Power to take charge.” – In God’s Care

At first the idea of surrendering was something almost incomprehensible. My whole life I’ve felt like I should never give up. That’s why this quote is so illuminating. In fact, it’s really a game changer when you think about it. By surrendering I’m not really giving up, I’m just saying “Hey God, I’m in this situation that you’re so much better at resolving so I’m gonna let you handle it this time. Thanks!” And suddenly, all the pressure is gone. I know it will all work out okay because my HP is on the job. When I turn things over to God, ILML! 

– JamieQ

“… we cannot just pray and then sit down and expect miracles to happen. We must back up our prayers with action.” – Freedom from Despair
The spiritual solution is epic, finding a connection to a source of inspiration that connects us to a place of love and kindness. But I must also remember that I live in the real world where there are real responsibilities. It is only when I connect with my higher power AND live up to those responsibilities to the best of my ability that I can truly find a peace of mind that allows me to relax and enjoy the ride. Today by doing just that, ILML! 

– JamieQ