Three Stories

NEVER-ENDING SUPPLY

T H R E E S T O R I E S

MOUNTAINS...ANYONE?

An old guy--who, me?--was making his way toward the mountains he really loved. the weather was getting bad; rain, then sleet, now snow, and bitter cold. He stopped to spend the night in a warm motel bed. The room clerk asked him, "How will you ever get to those mountains, old man?"

The man, with cheerful enthusiasm, answered, "My heart got there first, so it's easy for the rest of me to follow".

This is SO true in my life...where my heart goes, I follow. Unless an evil spirit is leading my heart, following it can not be wrong. Sometimes where my heart leads is not an easy path, maybe even against my desires, or desires of others. Maybe it looks dangerous ahead. I must plow on, especially if I am certain of God directing my steps, knowing that He will keep me safe.

A LESSON IN GIVING

Ya know how good it makes you feel when you give someone a gift? Especially if you know it's something they need. More-so if they also WANT it.

One time a very old, very holy man--who would later become a saint--was pouring water for his guests. One after the other refused. Finally, at the end of the table one guest accepted and said, "Thank you, Brother Marvin".

The other guests were somewhat shocked, and later said to him "How is it that you considered yourself to be worthy enough to accept the service of that holy man?"

He answered, "Well, when I offer people a drink, I am happy if they take it. Did you expect me to sadden that old man by depriving him of the joy of giving me something?"

Imagine how much the Infinite Creator enjoys freely giving gifts to us constantly--daily, hourly, every mini-fragmented-nano-second of time. What if we refuse His Gift? What of those who refuse the program, the way of life, of Alcoholics Anonymous? The giver--God--must be saddened.

Imagine His joy when a roomful of Peeps bare their souls with the sole purpose of helping one another, of helping God deliver His message of spirituality for all. The choirs of heaven must be singing fortissimo...listen, and you can hear them!

GRATITUDE IS AN ACTION WORD

It was time for the monsoon rains to begin and a very old man was digging holes in his garden. When neighbors asked what he was doing, he answered, "Planting mango trees."

"Do you expect to eat mangoes from those trees?"

"No, I won't live long enough for that. But others will. It occurred to me the other day that all my life I have enjoyed mangoes planted by other people. This is my way of showing them my gratitude."

And so it is with my AA program. Each day I (unknowingly) carry a message of some kind, a Step, a Tradition, a Spiritual Connection...always something which was freely given me by another. And in that way my gratitude becomes blest, in that it is accompanied by activity, by work.

This is not un-humble, it is not prideful for me to write this. It is merely the facts of my life today. This is the way it is. This is the way it has to be. This is the way I stay sober.

TRIVIA

Heavy-drinking show-biz guy, J.C. Fields, said, "I can't stand water because of the things fish do in it."

Sober, Caring, Loving, Free
Let us be all three.
Did i hear you say there's Four?
Always room for more.

Patience, Tolerance, peace, and Love, from
Steve

Sections of this blog taken from "TAKING FLIGHT" by Anthony De Mello