Skip to main content

One Day at a Time in Al-Anon:

When I say the Serenity Prayer, over and over again, I could fall into the habit of merely parroting the words without being aware of their meaning. This would blunt one of my most useful Al-Anon tools. If I think of the meaning of each phrase as say it, my understanding will grow and along with it my capability to realize the difference between what I can change, and what I cannot.

The prayer states first that there are elements in my life which I have no power to change; my serenity depends upon my accepting them. The more I fight them, the more they will torment me. “Courage to change the things I can” gives me unlimited freedom to work on those elements which are my concern.

Today’s Reminder:

The Serenity Prayer suggests I ask God “for courage to change the things I can.” The word is things, not people. True, there is much room for improvement in my life, but it can come only from changing my own attitudes and actions for the better.

“In every problem, great and small, the Serenity Prayer will work for me if I keep aware of its meaning every time I say it.”

From the book “One Day at a Time in Al-Anon”. © Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc. 1973