I am relaxed when I stop at the library, having dissolved a truckload of tension on a massage table. The library, not far from the spa, seems like a good place to kill some time before my next appointment. Good chance to pick up a novel and maybe a movie. Oh, here’s a good movie.| The Phoenix Spirit
The Phoenix · Get Up and Sing: The Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge Choir Sunday morning is not the time for sleeping off a bad night of boozing or shooting up. Nor is it time for making more broken promises to yourself that you know you’re going to break. At least that’s true for choir| The Phoenix Spirit
The sauna meister artfully swirled a white towel over his head, sending waves of eucalyptus scented steam to envelope us. “Try to hang in there and breathe it in,” he urged those of us remaining in the room. A couple of people from the group of 22 had slipped out the door already, opting instead| The Phoenix Spirit
Month: May 2018| thephoenixspirit.com
There was a period in my life where I spent most of my time doing one of two things: I was either worrying to extremes, or praying about what I was worrying about. My prayers were desperate. I often prayed, “Please let him come home safely.” Sometimes I prayed for something to change. At other| The Phoenix Spirit
Anger acts as thief. It steals away serenity, ability to focus, and the ability for self-awareness. After 9/11 Fred Maples, like most of us, felt angry about what happened. But then he did something that may perplex (or perhaps anger) many seeking a just revenge on these terrorists who caused such suffering: he began to| The Phoenix Spirit
I stood at the edge of a parking lot near the zoo in Duluth, Minn., waiting for the sun to come up and for the mosquitos to quit biting. They were merciless that July morning, and I had not thought to bring insect repellent. I paced and swatted, hoping my constant movement would make me| The Phoenix Spirit
Fear stalks our world, brazen and shameless. I expect fear to occasionally sneak in and out of alleys, but to see it parade through public streets as though a welcome visitor is…..frightening! There are public and private fears; they embolden each other. Like bullies on the playground, they compete for space and power. Who will| The Phoenix Spirit
You ever have that day where everything is going great, you're excited for the day and then something comes up that just throws off everything?! A text, a call, something someone says to you... Lovely. Now my perfectly good day is ruined. All thanks to one person. One thing. You know what I'm talking about?| The Phoenix Spirit
Elise abruptly stopped using her brown crayon to color the space between the lines of a puppy. She brushed her wispy blond bangs from her eyes and, with a dead-serious expression, blurted out, “I have to go potty.” My wife, our twin 5-year-old daughters and I walked to the steel door. The counselor unlocked it.| The Phoenix Spirit
It's all very simple. You set a goal for yourself; you determine how you'll meet that goal, and then you follow some tried-and-true strategies that will help you reach it. Will power! That's all you need. Determination. Discipline. Ah, if the road to recovery were only that easy. Anyone reading this article, anyone recovering from| The Phoenix Spirit
She sat next to the bed. I hadn’t touched her in months. She didn’t seem to notice - she didn’t say a word. I felt guilty. I felt ashamed. I felt like I had been unfaithful. There had been so many excuses. “I’m too busy. I’m too tired. I’ve got more important things to do.”| The Phoenix Spirit
A closer look at 10 common phrases used in recovery Addicts and alkies are often skeptical about the brief, pithy sayings we throw around in 12-step programs. The slogans seem to dilute the complicated issues of recovery down to stock, almost clichéd phrases. Yet, if you spend any time in Alano Club rooms, or even| The Phoenix Spirit
It was the last day of a graduate class I was teaching on the Spirituality of the Twelve Steps. I asked the class what was most striking to them from the lectures and conversations we'd had. As though she had been given the question earlier, a woman immediately shot her hand up. "I learned again and| The Phoenix Spirit
Step 7 as part of the 12 Steps reads: Humbly asked God to remove our shortcomings. At first glance, this seems to be a simple statement about what to do to remove the shortcomings we all have in one form or another. Why? Because none of us is perfect. Right? As I have been reflecting| The Phoenix Spirit
"God speaks to us every day only we don’t know how to listen".— Gandhi Unfortunately, too many of us don’t believe in a Higher Power, let alone actually listen to that voice within ourselves. It’s the guidance that summons us to bring out the better part of ourself and connect to others in ways that| The Phoenix Spirit
God having a plan for me is evidenced in reflection of the events throughout my life. As a child, I had struggles that I remember and can feel, but no longer identify with. The growth that comes with age, brain maturation, experiences and learning shape who we are at different times. I think of that| The Phoenix Spirit