Quote of the Week


"If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way" ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.



Protect Our Doubts - by Paulo Coelho
Posted by:Sally--Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Rocco was thinking of Emily's mom and Emily's Progress and we both thought these words of wisdom were apropriate.

Protect our doubts, because Doubt is a way of praying. It is Doubt that makes us grow because it forces us to look fearlessly at the many answers that exist to one question.



PROTECT OUR DOUBTS

Protect our doubts, because Doubt is a way of praying. It is Doubt that makes us grow because it forces us to look fearlessly at the many answers that exist to one question.
And in order for this to be possible...

Protect our decisions, because Decisions is a way of praying. Give us the courage, after our doubts, to be able to choose between one road and another. May our YES always be a YES, and our NO always be a NO. Once we have chosen our road, may we never look back nor allow our soul to be eaten away by remorse.
And in order for this to be possible...

Protect our actions, because Action is a way of praying. May our daily bread be the result of the very best that we carry within us. May we, through work and Action, share a little of the love we receive.
And in order for this to be possible...

Protect our dreams, because to Dream is a way of praying. Make sure that, regardless of our age or our circumstances, we are capable of keeping alight in our heart the sacred flame of hope and perseverance.
And in order for this to be possible...

Protect our enthusiasm, because Enthusiasm is a way of praying. It is what binds us to the Heaven and to Earth, to grown-ups, and to children; it is what tells us that our desires are important and deserve our best efforts. It is Enthusiasm that reaffirms to us that everything is possible, as long as we are totally committed to what we are doing.
And in order for this to be possible...

Protect our "us"; Because Life is the only way we have of making manifest Your miracle. May the earth continue to transform seeds into wheat, may we continue to transmute wheat into bread. And this is only possible if we have Love; therefore, do not leave us in solitude. Always give us Your company and the company of men and women who have doubts, who act and dream and feel enthusiasm, and who live each day as if it were totally dedicated to Your glory.

Amen

Paulo Coelho - Brazilian lyricist and novelistIn 1996, Coelho founded the Paulo Coelho Institute, which provides aid to children and elderly people with financial problems. In September 2007, Coelho was named a Messenger of Peace to the United Nations.

2 comments:

Sally said...

I have found this poem very helpful these last few days. I have it posted on the fridge so I can read it often. I dubbed it the 6-step poem because it helps me work through some situations parent's of an addict have to work through. I worked through step one and now I am working through step two. I no longer have doubt about Cisco going on from Gateway YES program to Liberty Station. Now I am working on Protecting the Decision and not feeling remorse at keeping the YES a YES. If you are in this situation where you know your child will not fair well at home but even though he worked a program well; you still look him straight in the eye and say with conviction "You did well, son, never the less, you are not ready to come home" I said this to Cisco on Saturday and he guilted me about it. Please read the post about the Three Most Common Ways that Teens Manipulate. If I would have done that it may have saved me from a terrible headache that I had after our visit.
Keep on fighting the good fight.
Sally

Sally said...

I am moving along on the 6-step poem and have just started part three.
For most of the time that Cisco was in Gateway I was DOUBTING that he should continue on at Liberty Station. I looked fearlessly at the many answers that existed to our question about what to do with Cisco.
Then I DECIDED that he should go to LS and I told him so and he knew I meant it. Aawww but that DECISION needed to be protected. We chose that road and now may we never look back nor allow our souls to be eaten away with remorse. In other words, let us not turn to salt! And I will not (cry), I have changed, I am a stronger and tougher mom than I have ever been before.

Now to repeat part three:

Protect our ACTIONS, because Action is a way of praying. May our daily bread be the result of the very best that we carry within us. May we, through work and Action, share a little of the love we receive.

I need to work on this part now for Cisco is at LS as of today. What I say to him while he is there is important, my actions are important. Am I nervous? You bet I am. I will read the pertinent posts on our blog. I need to listen to many of the lessons that Lloyd has taught. Mostly I need to go over the role-plays and be ready for whatever Cisco throws at me.
Let us all continue to fight the good fight. sally

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