Post
by Lenore » Tue May 06, 2008 1:57 am
CC - you are 1 phenominal woman. Unfortunately, I work Sunday evenings - otherwise, I WOULD SO BE THERE W/ YOU IN YOUR PRAYER GROUP. LOL, I am there in spirit. I want to personally thank you for leading this group - FAITH/SPIRITUALITY is a KEY COMPONENT of recovery & God - or however a person may choose to call him - has chosen a great messenger - YOU. I also want to thank you for your DIPLOMACY & INCLUSIONARY ways - so that ALL ARE WELCOME - as it should be. TY SWEETS.
KATHY - lol, my MUEY - you'll always be my MUEY & my friend(ok, you can vomitt now, hahahahah). I love that you have compassion - not only for yourself - but for others as well. Not everyone has the ability to be strong or STICK UP FOR THEMSELVES - it is wonderful people such as yourself that initially do that for them - then show them the way - that they have the right to be & believe as they choose. For then, these individuals can do it for themselves. I love your sense of spirituality/faith. I like that you are so strong in your BELIEF SYSTEM/FAITH/SENSE OF SPIRITUALITY, that WHO & WHAT YOU ARE as a person & woman can totally allow another person to be different than you w/ no qualms or negativity. <span class="ev_code_RED">See, thats why you are darn lucky that I chose you as a friend, hahahahhahahahha. Joking babe - & I luv ya to pieces.</span>
When my journey to recovery started in APR-2005, it turned my world upside dwn. I did 2 very key things. For me, in my particular case, 1) I initiated therapy w/ a psychiatrist. 2) I turned it over to God. You see, yes I do have a "RELIGION" for which I was raised - I won't name it NOW & HERE - to prove a point. It's just, that as I got a little older & more mature - some things about me were changing. When I heard CAROLYN say this certain something in the program - I KNEW I WAS ON THE RIGHT PATH - spiritually. Like Carolyn & I'm sure many others, I have a FAITH now - not so much a RELIGION. That does not imply I stopped believing all I was taught or as I was taught - no. Rather, I WILL NOT & NEVER AGAIN WILL - live or act out of fear. Next, I as a person & woman, choose not to get involved in the politics of modern day religion. All that is nonsense to me - creating additional negative energy & trust you me, my anxiety disorder triggering was proof positive - I was doing that pretty good on my own, LOL.
God, or however a person may call him, didn't create this nonsense - MAN DID. For God, he wants us to LOVE OURSELVES & OTHERS MORE. God or however we all may choose to call him, created the world we live in: diff flowers + plants + animals + humans = races + religions + color of skin = VARIETY. W/ this variety amongst humans, comes diff cultures + lifestyles + interpretations of many things. Again, all created by GODS hands. God or however we may call him on an individual basis, knew what he was doing fr the GET GO ! When you have these different cultures & races as created by Gods hands, you will as a result of CAUSE & EFFECT, have different interpretations to many things in life. One of those differences is how we call him: God + Allah + Jehovah + Yahweh + Jah + Radha + Krishna + Buddha + Akal Purakh or Ek Onkar = THESE ARE JUST A FEW OF THE MANY NAMES by which we refer to "our creator" - that stem fr the variety of life our CREATOR has created on this planet earth. Is 1 any less VALID just because it is not our own? No it is not! It is simply just DIFFERENT.
I am strong enough in MY FAITH = SPIRTUAL BELIEF system - that I can accept & respect all those differences. You see, I know(as my recovery fr anxiety disorder has both taught me & proven to me) MY WAY IS NOT THE ONLY WAY OR THE RIGHT WAY - my way is simply different, no more no less. I could give a HOOT, so to speak, that HE/SHE/THEY/HIM/THEM may refer to our creator by a different name - so I call him GOD & that guy may call him differently. That doesn't matter to me - you know why? BECAUSE I HAVE HIM - I have our God in my heart/soul/being/spirit - I have him & always will - that is what I care about. It also warms my heart even further that THE NEXT PERSON - & so on & son & so on - HAS HIM TOO. Yes, even if they refer to him by a diff name - as long as they have him.
Listen: whether you take a plane + bus + motorcycle + train + car + bike + walk + run - God doesn't care HOW YOU GET THERE - as long as YOU TAKE THE TRIP. Recovery fr anxiety disorder requires us all to rid ourselves & our lives fr as much negativity as possible. So, if we are all on that same journey & PROUDLY PROCLAIM - "yep, I want to feel better" - then by gosh, how is it - that while I read these postings here on this particular thread - that I see such negativity? My saying this does not in any way imply you STOP BELIEVING HOW YOU CHOOSE OR AS STRONGLY AS YOU CHOOOSE - rather, if you all claim to be on a more positive path in life - to feel better so that you can TRULY RECOVER fr ANXIETY DISORDER, that you want to rid yourselves & your lives of the negativity that CREATED THE ANXIETY DISORDER in the 1st place - how is it that you still type these things - w/ such unnecessary venum behind them? That is a contradiction. If there is such venum & negativity in the mix, there won't be recovery. It's like OIL & WATER, they don't mix.
I grew up in an area in NJ where I refer to it as a MINI UNITED NATIONS - every race/religion/creed you could think of. My friends made up our own little group of U.N., lol. Quite often, I was left unattended. The circumstance wasn't great & I believe I was "searching" for a family if you will. Anyhows, obviously back then - I didn't understand it as I tell you this now. The parents of all the friends I did have then MUST HAVE. I was often invited over for a snack + to play + for supper, etc - I happily went, because I was a PART OF SOMETHING. The little girl I was then didn't SEE THE DIFFERENCES - but they were there. These parents that helped me & invited me into their homes were: hispanic + black + middle eastern + Korean + white + chinese - many, far too many for me to even post accurately. Heck, I remember 1 friend DIANA who was KOREAN - they had this Sund church service where afterwards - they would all congregate to the basement for a buffet of every kind of food/cake, etc you could think of. They invited me - I went. I was the only "white" person there - majority didn't speak too well English either. Yet, they welcomed me w/ open arms - they were wonderful to me. As I got older & found myself on my own in my senior year of high school - this "variety" of people helped guide me & help me along the way. A lge part of who I am today, is the sum total of a small part of them all. MY POINT? lol - THEY WERE LIVING GOD'S WILL FOR US ALL BY THEIR ACTIONS - do you see that? They didn't care that I was white & whatever faith I was - didn't matter. The intention is that we all learn to live together + respect our differences - to love ourselves & others more.
I know all too well the fear 9/11 created for us all - not just here in the UNITED STATES, but around the world. Listen, I was there that terrible day - physically. In 1993, when they bombed the WTC - I worked in 2 WTC-81st flr. On 9/11, while NO LONGER WORKING THERE, I was on a train - in the WTC - just starting to descend into the tunnel - when the 1st plane hit. Hell, a part of my diagnosis fr my psychiatrist when anxiety disorder triggered was PTSD, in part fr 9/11. So, I understand. What those extremist's did that sad & horrible day was devistating & beyond normal comprehension. However, DON'T LET THE DEVIL FOOL YOU - not all MUSLIM'S are as those extremists were. When we're hurt or in fear, we look to blame or point the finger - blame does not belong to MUSLIMS as a whole - it belongs to those group of men, whom the devil won their souls. No more. I know 1st hand how the fear & uncertainty can paralize you - don't let it, esp when it comes to our spiritual beliefs & living amongst eachother. You see, if we all choose to act in the way as implied w/ the many postings in this thread - we are perpetuating the evil + hate that those terrorists had that day. Then, THEY WIN. We need to ACT + LIVE + BREATH + LOVE + BELIEVE DIFFERENTLY - to create change in the world. No, 1 person can't change the world by him/herself. Rather, we DO CHANGE THE WORLD - by changing ourselves.
Peace + love + blessings + unity + friendship,
LENORE
Your greatest challenge isn't someone else. It's the aching i your lungs & the burning in your legs & the voice inside you that yells "CAN'T". But you don't listen. You push harder & hear the voice that whispers "CAN". An you realize that the person you thought you were is no match for the one you REALLY ARE.
