DRINKING ALCOHOL TAUGHT ME HOW TO FLY
THEN IT TOOK AWAY THE SKY

Monday, October 26, 2009

THOUGHTS


HELEN KELLER AND ANNE SULLIVAN

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.--Helen Keller


 THOUGHTS

On the blogs, I read that so MANY of us are living in sheer misery.  I'm not referencing  the very hungry, nor the homeless, nor those in an alzheimer's unit--I usually don't find them when I'm blogging. But people I know, people I deal with daily and have come to love--I see, and feel with them their powerlessness.  Of that misery, the madness of living in an intolerable (to some) situation year after year is an example.  I respect and admire the commitment of these Peeps to keep their family, and themselves together. Their persistence to achieve a desired result is unfathomable to some.

"We are planning our daily actions, behaviors", they say.  "NOT planning the outcome."  Oh, if it were just that easy--simple, OK...but easy?  NOT!  The pain, the constant hurt, the aching, breaking hearts in such families HAS to bring on the energy of God's Serenity.  His ears are tuned in, only needing to hear that voice crying for His help.  And God will come, and DOES--as one told me last night.  

God sometimes lets me wait until I am able to recognize His Hand reaching to meet with my own.  In the end, He IS in charge.  It is HE Who let me sink into a bottomless pit of hopelessness and despair, before taking my hand and leading me into my first meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous. And there my own healing began.  By my own caution (lack of faith) it was a slow recovery, but HOPE was present from the first day.

Helen Keller had the courage only known by the desperately hopeless, when God met her at a water pump, and let her begin trudging her own path to brilliance.  She became for many the light of hope.  

My father became deaf around 20-25 years before his death. He had been completely sightless for many years before that.  And the learning afforded him at the time of becoming one of the deaf-blind was directly a result of the pioneering efforts of Helen and her trusted lifelong dedicated friend and teacher, the beautiful, wonderful Anne Sullivan.  

Frequently as I trudge my path to a happy sober life, I am overcome with Peace, and Happiness for Peeps, and for many others. And I remember that shortly after my father's death, two nuns wrote a booklet of his life of blindness and then deafness.  The title:  LIVING WITH JOY! (Whoa!)

Interesting isn't it, that in our AA book "Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions" the chapter on Step 12 a large part of which is "Helping Others" begins with those words, "THE JOY OF LIVING is the theme of AA's Twelfth Step, and action is it's key word."

Again, I got carried away and wrote far too lengthy a post.  Please forgive me Peeps, for the more than 400th time.

Patience, Tolerance, and LOVE, Peeps, are the words I'm "pushing" today.
 

And PEACE!
And FORGIVENESS?
And SOBRIETY (Should have been the first word!)

24 comments:

Anonymous :) said...

Lovely reminder that God is listening.

DreamDancer said...

I know through God's mercy I will find the joy you speak of. Thank you for the compassionate post. Blessings. DD

Tall Kay said...

I like it when you get carried away...your excitement just lifts me up every time! Peace and hugs back at ya!

Andrew said...

My baby sister played Anne Sullivan in a High School production of Helen Keller. A wonderful story.

I certainly see no need to apologize.

Sobriety does bring Peace through Forgiveness.

~Christina~ said...

I admire Helen Keller so much. Her wisdom is extraordinary, her quotes quite touching. God sure knew what he was doing when he gave her the miracle of a positive attitude. Great post, as usual, Sir.

wolfie185 said...

Steve you never write too much!! I enjoyed your insights and thought once again. God is doing for us what we cannot do for ourselves, yes indeedy.

Ed G. said...

...the lessons we learn that make the journey worth it...

Blessings and aloha...

Zanejabbers said...

There's a lot said in this blog and it is never too much to hear.

Shadow said...

what saddens me greatly is when people CHOOSE to live in misery when they have the ability to take themselves out of it...

Nessa said...

I think Joy is a better state to chase than Happiness.

Sean the Vampire - Part Six - A Halloween Recap

Jess Mistress of Mischief said...

Never long enough I say!

Do you still have a copy of the booklet that the nuns wrote?

Much love to you my fellow Time Traveler!

:)

steveroni said...

Jessie, you are so NICE (looked it up, and it fits).

Yes, I have a couple copies yet, I'll send one if you like, but you moved from the address I once (sigh!) had.
-GRIN!

Dulçe ♥ said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Good morning Steve, here I am sipping my java and reading your wonderful posts. Please never apologize thinking your posts are to long. Besides, we all love your posts. I to loved the Helen Keller series, I have watched it many times. I am learning that God speaks to us in many ways. He is there to guide us, it is up to US to keep taking step after step. I love what you shared about your father. Bless him..

When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.
Helen Keller

Annsterw said...

Lovvvvvve your lengthy posts!!! You give me something to think about and reflect on everyday!!! So glad I have found your blog!

Margie said...

Joy, joy and more JOY!

Wonderful message Steve!
Thank you so much!

May today bring to you an abundance of JOY!

Margie:)

Syd said...

I like to think that misery is optional. I like having choices and today I choose to be happy...tired...but happy. Thanks Steve.

CiCi said...

My father was blind from age 15 so that is how I always knew him. I cannot imagine his losing his hearing too. This is a very good post, referencing Helen Keller's courage.

Alice Audrey said...

Those are good words to be pushing.

You remind me again to be thankful. I'm in a thankful cycle right now, reminded daily of how many things have gone well in my life when they could have gone horribly wrong. I remember clearly living through intolerable times. I'm so glad it isn't that way for me now.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for all your support ,it means a lot to me.
when I do get my book published I will send you one with my name in it
My friend

Maude Lynn said...

"God sometimes lets me wait until I am able to recognize His Hand reaching to meet with my own."

I love, love, love that!

Unknown said...

I would love to see a copy of that booklet, you must scan it and put it up on line for all of us to read!

This is such a great reminder of all that is true for us...it's hard to trudge, life is hard...life is easy, it will always change, that happy road of destiny is to trudge it at times.

What a brilliant post!!1 I loved and needed to read this today!

Love you Steve!
Gabi

Just Be Real said...

Stevie, it is good to know there is someone higher up that is in control. Very uplifting post dear one. Thank you for sharing!

Ekanthapadhikan said...

Inspirational! And one word to you - if God is supposed to provide us everything then why do we have to go through the process of being born as an infant and then grow up to be young, middle aged and then old? I do not deny the presence of a superior power that is God. But I think we often mistake his role in our lives. He's the friend, the Bestest Friend that any man can ever have (that's my concept of a God).