Serenity Cafe Inc.

Hey guys,

"Crazy Daisy" is a not for profit social enterprise business my friend Sarah Moir fouded a year ago. She has been featured in the Hamilton Spectator and CHCH News numerous times. Crazy Daisy is committed to helping people find jobs who struggle wih mental health issues and promoting awareness and education in the workplace. To learn more about it, visit the website at www.crazydaisy.org.

"Crazy Daisy" is currently in 25th place to win a twitter shorty award for small business. They need 300 votes to win!

We could raise a lot of attention for mental wellness and social enterprise in general if they win this contest! !

If you have the time, please follow the link below and vote for "crazydaisyorg" in the small business category. Thanks in advance! Help us help the community!

http://shortyawards.com/#

How to fill it out:

I nominate crazydaisyorg for a Shorty Award in smallbusiness

http://shortyawards.com/#

www.crazydaisy.org

Happiness is not about being perfect, but about seeing beyond the imperfections...

A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort!

Attitudes are contageous.

Is yours worth catching?

"Pain - who needs it!" we think whenever we're in it. We see no good purpose for pain. It seems to be a pointless exercise in suffering. If someone happens to mention spiritual growth to us while we're in pain, we most likely snort in disgust and walk away, thinking we've never encountered a more insensitive person.

But what if human beings didn't feel pain - either physical or emotional? Sound like an ideal world? Not really. If we weren't capable of feeling physical pain, we wouldn't know when to blink foreign particles out of our eyes; we wouldn't know when to stop exercising; we wouldn't even know when to roll over in our sleep. We would simply abuse ourselves for lack of a natural warning system.

The same holds true for emotional pain. How would we have known that our lives had become unmanageable if we hadn't been in pain? Just like physical pain, emotional pain lets us know when to stop doing somethingthat hurts.

But pain is not only a motivating factor. Emotional pain provides a basis for comparison when we are joyful. We couldn't appreciate joy without knowing pain.

JFT: I will accept pain as a necessary part of life. I know that to whatever level I can feel pain, I can also feel joy.

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room.

One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs.

His bed was next to the room's only window.

The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.

The men talked for hours on end.

They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation.

Every afternoon, when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.

The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.

The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake.

Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.

As the man by the window described all this in exquisite details, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine this picturesque scene.

One warm afternoon, the man by the window described a parade passing by.

Although the other man could not hear the band - he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.

Days, weeks and months passed.

One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep..

She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.

As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.

Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside.

He strained to slowly turn to look out the window besides the bed.

It faced a blank wall.

The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window.

The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall.

She said, 'Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.'

Epilogue:

There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations.

Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled.

If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can't buy.

'Today is a gift, that is why it is called The Present.'

"In accordance with the principles of recovery, we try not to judge, stereotype, or moralize with each other." - BT p. 11

Let's face it: In NA, we live in a glass house of sorts. Our fellow members know more about our personal lives than anyone has ever known before. They know who we spend our time with, where we work, what step we're on, how many children we have, and so forth. And what our fellow members don't know, they will probably imagine.

We may be unhappy when others gossip about us. But if we withdraw from the fellowship and isolate ourselves to avoid gossip, we also rob ourselves of the love, friendship, and unparalleled experience with recovery that our fellow members have to offer. A better way to deal with gossip is to simply accept the way things are and the way we are, and live our lives according to principles. The more secure we become with our personal program, the decisions we make, and the guidance we receive from a loving God, the less the opinions of others will concern us.

JFT: I am committed to being involved in the NA Fellowship. The opinions of others will not affect my commitment to recovery.

"Complacency is the enemy of members with substantial clean time.If we remain complacent for long, the recovery process ceases." BT, p.80

After the first couple of years in recovery, most of us start to feel like there are no more big deals. If we've been diligent in working the steps, the past is largely resolved and we have a solid foundation on which to build our future. We've learned to take life pretty much as it comes. Familiarity with the steps allows us to resolve problems almost as quickly as they arise.

Once we discover this level of comfort, we may tend to treat it as a"rest stop" on the recovery path. Doing so, however, discounts the nature of our disease. Addiction is patient, subtle, progressive, and incurable. It's also fatal - we can die from this disease, unless we continue to treat it. And the treatment for addiction is a vital, ongoing program of recovery.

The Twelve Steps are a process, a path we take to stay a step ahead of our disease. Meetings, sponsorship, service, and the steps always remain essential to ongoing recovery. Though we may practice our program somewhat differently with five years clean than with five months, this doesn't mean the program has changed or become less important, only that our practical understanding has changed and grown. To keep our recovery fresh and vital, we need to stay alert for opportunities to practice our program.

Just for today: As I keep growing in my recovery, I will search for new ways to practice my program.

"When someone points out a shortcoming, our first reaction may be defensive. There will always be room for growth." - BT, p. 35

Recovery is a process that brings about change in our lives. We need that change if we are to continue our growth toward freedom. It'simportant that we remain open-minded when others point out our shortcomings, for they are bringing to light opportunities for us to change and grow. Reacting defensively limits our ability to receive the help they are offering us; letting go of our defenses opens the door to change, growth, and new freedom.

Each day in the recovery process will bring an opportunity for further change and growth. The more we learn to greet change with an open mind and heart, the more we will grow and the more comfortable we will become with our recovery

.

Just for today: I will greet each opportunity for growth with an open mind.

"...ever reminding us to place principles before personalities."

Tradition Twelve

Sometimes it's hard to accept others' character defects. As we recover together, we not only listen to others talk in meetings, we also watch how they walk through their recovery. The more we get to know other members, the more we become aware of how they live their lives. We may form opinions about how they "work their program." We may find that certain members upset us, or we may even hear ourselves say, "If I worked their program, I would surely use."

We have found tolerance to be a principle that not only strengthens our own recovery but also our relationships with individuals who are a source of irritation to us. It becomes easier to accept other members' frailties when we remember that we ourselves rarely turn over our own character defects until we become painfully aware of them.

Just for today: I will strive to accept others as they are. I will trynot to judge others. I will focus on the principles of love andacceptance.

One day a young lady was driving along with her father. They came upon a storm. The young lady asked her father what she should do, he said "keep driving". Cars began to pull over to the side, the storm was getting worse. What should I do the young lady asked, "keep driving" her father replied. On up a few feet she noticed eighteen wheelers was pulling over also. She told her dad, I must pull over I can barely see ahead. It is terrible out here everyone is pulling over. Her father told her not to give up just keep driving. Now the storm was terrible but she never stopped driving and soon she could see a little clearer. After a couple of miles she was on dry land and the sun was out. Her father said now pull over and get out. She said "but why now?" He said "get out look back, at all the people that gave up and is still in the storm". You never gave up and now your storm is over.

This is a testimony for anyone that is going through something. Just because everyone else, even the ones that appear to be the largest and strongest gives up. You don't have to, because if you keep going, on up ahead your storm will soon be over and the sun will shine upon your face again.

I hope this touched someone because it did touch me. Pass it on to someone who you know is going through or all of your on-line friends. Tell them to never give up, because GOD will never give up on them.

The third, fourth, fifth and sixth floors have never been visited.