Being yourself

 I enjoy doing elementary artwork,
but I decided to grow up a little bit
by giving this girl some facial features.
It doesn't feel like my art
because I'm not used to detail.
I like to keep things simple...
 

In recovery, we're learning a new behavior. It's called Be Who You Are. For some of us, this can feel frightening. What would happen if we felt what we felt, said what we wanted, became firm about our beliefs, and valued what we needed? What would happen if we owned our power to be ourselves?

 

There comes a time when we become willing and ready to take that risk. We begin to achieve intimacy, and relationships that work. We discover that who we are has always been good enough. 



Melody Beattie- Language of Letting Go

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Patience

Having fun with my dishes and a sharpie pen

 

The people who are most successful at living

and loving are those who can learn  to wait successfully.

Not many people enjoy waiting or learning patience...

Yet, waiting can be a powerful tool

that will help us accomplish much good.

Melody Beattie- Language of letting Go
 

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Feeling good

Picture yourself as a woman

who no longer looks outside herself

for a sense of safety, happiness, and well-being.
 

*****
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!!!
 

 



Being kind to yourself

 

Picture yourself as a woman

who has released

 negative stories about herself.

She has rewritten the pages of her life,

weaving in

kindness and understanding.

 

*****



Growing wings

it's in the

in-between

that

the real

magic

happens

 

the

seeds

are planted

 

the roots

take

hold

 

and we

blossom

into who

we were

meant

to

be

 

Kristine Jong- "Growing Wings"

 

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Gratitude

 

today I stop

 

I breathe

deep and rest

 

with grateful tears

I weep

 

because I have

come

so far

 

 Kristen Jong - "Attempting Flight"

 

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The secret to happiness

 

Very little is needed to make a happy life;
it is all within yourself in your way of thinking.”  

― Marcus Aurelius

 

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Things I've learned

 

I’ve learned the world is a safe refuge

 so I can stop being afraid of life.

I’ve learned we’re all doing our best

 so I need to give people room for errs.

I’ve learned that being miracle-minded

is simply seeing life in a new light.

I’ve learned that kind words can heal.

I’ve learned to trust the journey.

 

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Faith

 

“Faith is a place of mystery,

where we find the courage to believe in what we cannot see

and the strength to let go of our fear of uncertainty.”  

- Brene Brown

 

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Accepting who we are

“When we can let go of what other people think and own our story,

we gain access to our worthiness—

the feeling that we are enough just as we are

and that we are worthy of love and belonging.

When we spend a lifetime trying to distance ourselves

from the parts of our lives that don’t fit

with who we think we’re supposed to be,

we stand outside of our story and hustle for our worthiness

by constantly performing, perfecting, pleasing, and proving.”  

 

― Brene Brown

 

 

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Taking risks

 

“To love someone fiercely,

to believe in something with your whole heart,

to celebrate a fleeting moment in time,

to fully engage in a life that doesn’t come with guarantees –

these are risks that involve vulnerability and often pain.

 But, I’m learning that recognizing and leaning

into the discomfort of vulnerability

teaches us how to live with joy, gratitude and grace.”  

― Brene Brown

*****

Being vulnerable

We cultivate love when we allow our most vulnerable

and powerful selves to be deeply seen and known,

and when we honor the spiritual connection that grows from

that offering with trust, respect, kindness and affection.

Love is not something we give or get;

it is something that we nurture and grow,

a connection that can only be cultivated between two people

when it exists within each one of them –

we can only love others as much as we love ourselves.
― Brene Brown

 

*****



Love

 

new stuff....

 

******

“Age does not protect you from love.

But love, to some extent, protects you from age.”  

 

―Anais Nin    

 

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Taking risks

 

 

“I have no brakes on...

analysis is for those who are paralyzed by life.”  

 

― Anaïs Nin

 

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Being humble

Teaching myself how to make appliques for tee shirts...

I have been driven many times upon my knees

by the overwhelming conviction that I had no where else to go.

My own wisdom and that of all about me

seemed insufficient for that day.”  

― Abraham Lincoln

 

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Being passionate

 

 

Do not let your fire go out,

spark by irreplaceable spark in the hopeless swamps of the not-quite,

 the not-yet, and the not-at-all.

Do not let the hero in your soul perish in lonely frustration

for the life you deserved and have never been able to reach.

The world you desire can be won.

It exists.. it is real.. it is possible.. it's yours.”  

― Ayn Rand

 

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Slowing down

Nature does not hurry,
yet everything is accomplished.

~ Lao Tzu ~

 

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Change

“We can't be afraid of change.

You may feel very secure in the pond that you are in,

but if you never venture out of it,

you will never know that there is such a thing as an ocean, a sea. Holding onto something that is good for you now,

may be the very reason why you don't have something better.”  

― C. Joybell 

 

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The past is over

 

Pippi on the back of my computer chair...

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If you were hurt as a child and still see the world

through the lens of this wounded child,

nothing will be as it truly is.

You will feel unsafe, victimized, and lonely.

If you didn't get your needs met when you were young,
 you may still be trying to get someone to meet them.
You'll be angry when they fail to meet your expectations.
 

Don't bring your past into your relationships today.

If something is broken in you,
only you can fix it.
 

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