Courage to Change:
“The people I love won’t take care of themselves, so I have to do it. How will they survive unless I?” This was my thinking when I came to Al-Anon, my excuse for interfering in everyone’s business. My needs seemed so unimportant compared to the constant crises all around me. Al-Anon told me that I had other options, one of which was to let go and let God.
When I think of letting go I remind myself that there is a natural order to life — a chain of events that a Higher Power has in mind. When I let go of a situation, I allow life to unfold according to that plan. I open my mind and let other ways of thinking or behaving enter in. When I let go of another person, I am affirming their right to live their own life, to make their own choices, and to grow as they experience the results of their actions. A Higher Power exists for others, as well. My obsessive interference disrupts not only my connection with them but also my connection with my own spiritual self.
Today’s Reminder:
I am my top priority. By keeping the focus on myself, I let go of other people’s problems and can better cope with my own. What can I do for myself today?
“I will remind myself… that I am powerless over anyone else, that I can live no life but my own. Changing myself for the better is the only way I can find peace and serenity.” – The Dilemma of the Alcoholic Marriage