One Day at a Time in Al-Anon:
Occasionally an Al-Anon meeting dredges up grievances and reports of domestic hostility. The chairman of one such meeting, having also told about “family fights” of her own, jolted the group with this final comment:
“I’ve often wondered, when I start a battle with my husband, how I’d feel if somebody were making a tape recording of what I was saying, and the tone of voice I was using to say it. I’d be screeching and shouting like a fish-wife; I’d bring up all my weapons of sarcasm and lash out. And by the way, the word sarcasm comes from a Greek word meaning to tear flesh.
“Wouldn’t I feel pretty cheap if I could hear myself being played back? Wouldn’t it give me some idea of my part in the family troubles?
“Please, please, let’s listen to ourselves and see if it doesn’t help us to cool off.”
Today’s Reminder:
I will, from now on, take note of how disagreements start in my home. If I am the instigator, this is the first thing I will try to correct in myself. If I am challenged by an angry person, I will respond quietly, or not at all.
“A soft answer turneth away wrath, but grievous words stir up anger.”
— Proverbs