Leo Booth - Say Yes to Your Spirit: A Personal Journey for Developing Spirituality, Recovery, and Healing

SAY YES
TO YOUR

Spirit

A Personal Journey for Developing
SPIRITUALITY
RECOVERY
and HEALING

LEO BOOTH

Health Communications, Inc.
Deerfield Beach, Florida

www.hcibooks.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Booth, Leo, 1946
Say yes to your spirit / Leo Booth.
p. cm.
eISBN-13: 978-0-7573-9794-3 (ebook) eISBN-13: 0-7573-9794-8 (ebook)

1. SpiritualityMeditations. 2. Devotional calendars. I. Title.
BL624.2.B66 2008
204'.32dc22

2007048401

2008 Leo Booth

All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.

HCI, its logos and marks are trademarks of Health Communications, Inc.

Publisher: Health Communications, Inc.
3201 S.W. 15th Street
Deerfield Beach, FL 33442-8190

Cover photo PhotoDisc
Cover design by Larissa Hise Henoch
Interior design and formatting by Lawna Patterson Oldfield

Contents

Foreword:
Treating Heroes

I met Rev. Leo Booth at an addiction conference in Sea Island, Georgia. I remember he was discussing the difference between spirituality and religion, and he was one of the first speakers to openly discuss religious abuse: how one can be hurt and shamed in the name of God.

The message immediately resonated with me because as a young man growing up in Albany, New York, I had often been made to feel like a bad boy by my religion. I feared God had given up on me and so... why try? And although I saw myself at times as a tough guy, I secretly feared my Roman Catholic God. We had priests and nuns who were truly kind and whom I respected, but there were clergy who seemed to enjoy humiliation and corporal punishment. I knew my upbringing (including my religious upbringing) was dysfunctional. Rev. Leo gave me a context in which to see and understand my religious abuse, and I was grateful.

When Rev. Leo spoke about spirituality, however, he lit up the roomtelling jokes, standing on chairs. Referring to John Lennon and Oscar Wilde, he made spirituality come alive and easy to understand. Reverend Leos definition was simple and yet profound; spirituality is about being a positive and creative human being. Thats it!

Jesus was positive and creative. Mother Teresa was positive and creative. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was positive and creative, and, yes, I also am positive and creative.

After his talk, I met with Rev. Leo and asked him to speak to the patients and staff with whom I work at Behavioral Health of the Palm Beaches in South Florida. He came, he spoke, and I hired him to be our spiritual director.

From the earliest days of my recovery from alcoholism I had intuitively known that spirituality, a love of God beyond the words of religion, was essential. I also knew recovery involved a love of self and the people around me. At some level I had grasped that although I struggled with my many imperfections, God had accepted me, and I wanted to take this message to my family, friends, and patients at Behavioral Health of the Palm Beaches. From the beginning the treatment facility had always encompassed spirituality, but I wanted it to be more spiritual. Meeting Rev. Leo Booth had given me the opportunity to live my dream.

Rev. Leo Booth is not only a colleague, he is also a friend. I admire his enthusiasm, his inclusiveness, his vulnerability, and his willingness to grow. In this book, Say Yes to Your Spirit, he not only writes for the alcoholic and addict but also for the family, the significant others, and the friends who have been touched by this disease. Indeed, anyone reading this book will benefit from its powerful messages:

You have the spiritual power to change your life.

God wants to partner with you in creating your success.

In this dance in God you have certain steps to take.

Through the course of my life I have become an avid reader and have become enamored with the myths of the world. The ones that have affected me the most were those of the heros journey. In them I saw the story of recovery. Myths tell the story of overcoming the demons and dragons that stand in the way of the prize. In this uplifting, comforting, and useful book, Rev. Leo provides the tools and inspiration for you and your loved ones, so that you may begin your own journey toward becoming a hero, with the prize being the dance we do in God in recovery.

Donald K. Mullaney, Ph.D., LCSW
Certified Addictions Professional

Acknowledgments

W hen writing a book you come to value the friends and colleagues that you have around you. This book, Say Yes to Your Spirit, was the creation of many valuable minds, many comments Ive heard along the way, too many discussions over coffee until late into the night. Always there are some people who stand out.

Kien Lam supported the initial concept and added ideas while he typed the script. Hes been my office manager for many years and is my most cherished mentor.

Hilary Fitzsimmons and Michael Schultheis, who work in my office, read and reread the early scripts, again presenting improvements that have enhanced the book.

Michele Matrisciani, who as editorial director at Health Communications worked tirelessly to improve the writing and tighten up my thoughts, helped make Say Yes to Your Spirit vivid and clear.

Gary Seidler, who planted the seed, is a trusted friend. I know that more will be developed from having his professional vision.

Dr. Don Mullaney kindly wrote the Foreword for this book and allowed me to develop new spiritual concepts with the patients at his facility.

And lastly, I thank Peter Vegso, publisher at Health Communications, who said yes immediately to the initial concept of this book and made it happen.

Have I left people out? Yes. Forgive me, but you are not forgotten in my feelings of gratitude.

Introduction

S ome years ago, I was privileged to write a daily meditation book for alcoholics and addicts called Say Yes to Life. Published by Health Communications, the book became popular with the recovering community and treatment centers.

Family members came to me and asked if I would be writing a similar book for everyone; people who do not necessarily have an addiction but want to read a positive spiritual message each day. Thanks to this suggestion, I now present to you Say Yes to Your Spirit.Now I realize that when I say Im writing this book for everyone this is extremely general. However, truth to tell, throughout this book Im really focused on recovery issues. And it has been my experience that the vast majority of people are recovering from something! Im trusting that these people will benefit from reading Say Yes to Your Spirit.

Since writing the original book I like to think that I have grown; indeed my understanding of our relationship with God and Spirituality has moved in the direction of our taking responsibility for the life we wish to live.Metaphysical people call this philosophy cocreation.

What does that mean?Well, in a nutshell it suggests that Gods Spirit is alive in each and every one of us and our responsibility is to reflect it; manifest the divine. But more than this, cocreation is being actively involved in creating a better, safer, and more accepting world. God not only created us but is divinely involved in his creation; creating us to create.