Daily Readings for Tuesday, March 17th

Meditation for the Day

Withdraw into the calm of communion with God. Rest in that calm and peace. When the soul finds its home of rest in God, then it is that real life begins. Only when you are calm and serene can you do good work. Emotional upsets make you useless. The eternal life is calmness and when you enter into that, then you live as an eternal being. Calmness is based on complete trust in God. Nothing in this world can separate you from the love of God.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may wear the world like a loose garment. I pray that I may keep serene at the center of my being.

From Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Empowering

You can think. You can feel. You can solve your problems. You can take care of yourself.

Those words have often benefited me more than the most profound and elaborate advice.

How easy it is to fall into the trap of doubting others and ourselves.

When someone tells us about a problem, what is our reaction? Do we believe we need to solve it for the person? Do we believe that that person’s future rests on our ability to advise him or her? That’s standing on shaky ground – not the stuff of which recovery is made.

When someone is struggling through a feeling, or a morass of feelings, what is our reaction? That the person will never survive that experience? That it’s not okay for someone to feel? That he or she will never get through this intact?

When a person is faced with the task of assuming responsibility for their life and behaviors, what is our response? That the person can’t do that? I must do it myself to save him or her from dissipating into ashes? From crumbling? From failing?

What is our reaction to ourselves when we encounter a problem, a feeling, or when we face the prospect of assuming responsibility for ourselves?

Do we believe in others and ourselves? Do we give power to people – including ourselves – and their abilities? Or do we give the power to the problem, the feeling, or the irresponsibility?

We can learn to check ourselves out. We can learn to think, and consider our response, before we respond. “I’m sorry you’re having that problem. I know you can figure out a solution. Sounds like you’ve got some feelings going on. I know you’ll work through them and come out on the other side.”

Each of us is responsible for ourselves. That does not mean we don’t care. It does not mean a cold, calculated withdrawal of our support from others. It means we learn to love and support people in ways that work. It means we learn to love and support ourselves in ways that work. It means that we connect with friends who love and support us in ways that work.

To believe in people, to believe in each persons inherent ability to think, feel, solve problems, and take care of themselves is a great gift we can give and receive from others.

Today, I will strive to give and receive support that is pure and empowering. I will work at believing in myself and others – and our mutual abilities to be competent at dealing with feelings, solving problems, and taking responsibility for ourselves.

From The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie

Daily Card Reading for Monday, March 16th

TAMING THE WINDS

55

THE ESSENCE:
Here the feather, a symbol that is used in clearing ceremonies, for smudging, reminds you of the sacred commitment you make to your life. This is the symbol of consciously bringing the spiritual into the material, infusing the world with reverence and an acknowledgment of the higher planes of existence that influence and animate all life. The feather is a symbolic reminder of deliberately entering into a partnership with the Great Spirit to co-create for the highest good for all.

THE INVITATION:
It’s time to clear your energy, be present, and become conscious of how you communicate. This is a good time to write in a journal and put your thoughts into a cohesive form. Perhaps you need to actually do a smudging ceremony in your home or office, creating a sacred space to write about your dreams and desires. Just remember that when Taming the Wind appears as a symbol, it is time to honor the Great Spirit with reverence and respect

Daily Readings for Monday, March 16th

Meditation for the Day

I must have a singleness of purpose to do my part in God’s work. I must not let material distractions interfere with my job of improving personal relation ships. It is easy to become distracted by material affairs, so that I lose my singleness of purpose. I do not have time to be concerned about the multifarious concerns of the world. I must concentrate and specialize on what I can do best.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may not become distracted by material affairs. I pray that I may concentrate on doing what I can do best.

From Twenty-Four Hours a Day 

Positive Energy

It’s so easy to look around and notice what’s wrong.

It takes practice to see what’s right.

Many of us have lived around negativity for years. We’ve become skilled at labeling what’s wrong with other people, our life, our work, our day, our relationships, our conduct, our recovery, and ourselves.

We want to be realistic, and our goal is to identify and accept reality. However, this is often not our intent when we practice negativity. The purpose of negativity is usually annihilation.

Negative thinking empowers the problem. It takes us out of harmony. Negative energy sabotages and destroys. It has a powerful life of its own.

So does positive energy. Each day, we can ask what’s right, what’s good – about other people, our life, our work, our day, our relationships, ourselves, our conduct, our recovery.

Positive energy heals, conducts love, and transforms. Choose positive energy.

Today, God help me let go of negativity. Transform my beliefs and thinking, at the core, from negative to positive. Put me in harmony with the good.

From The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie 

New York City Schools Closed until at least April 20th

New York City public schools closed until at least April 20th – The country’s largest school system. It was mentioned that it might include closing schools for the remainder of the school year.

1.1 million students affected by this move.

https://nypost.com/2020/03/15/coronavirus-in-ny-nyc-schools-will-close/?fbclid=IwAR0uvenL6hL64EAa__d43-8bgbU7UDkG8O8QzYzRR9LsEFx6vocvOwWzQ7M

What I’m hearing on the Coronavirus – Sunday, March 15th

There have been over 3100 cases of the Coronavirus in the US – (CNN)

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Illinois governor orders bars and restaurants to close – Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is ordering all bars and restaurants to close to the public beginning Monday night until March 30, he said at a press briefing Sunday. (CNN)

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The president has been tested for the Coronavirus and its results are that he does not have it. (CNN)

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Italy hit hard –

Italy on Sunday announced 368 new deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the total death toll in the country to 1,809, according to Civil Protection Department Chief Angelo Borrelli.

Speaking at a press conference in Rome, Borrelli went on to reveal that the total number of positive cases registered in Italy reached 24,747 on Sunday, with an increase of 3,590 new cases recorded in the past 24 hours. (CNN)

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Even though young children may be asymptomatic or have mild cases, they are much more likely to spread the disease to those on whom it would have a much more devastating effect. (CBS)