A Chair

Well, I'm grateful to be here.  Just for today.  I'm one of the lucky ones because I have a program that helps.  It works every time I work it.  G-u-a-r-a-n-t-e-e-d.  LOL  I just got to do the work.  No one else can do it for me.  It's an inside job.

Daily Reflections, p.201, a quote from 12 & 12, "A great turning point in our lives came when we sought for humility as something we really wanted rather than as something we must have."

One Day at a Time in Al-Anon, p. 193, "What if...?"...Only two little words, but they're heavy with dread, fear and anxiety...Granted, these things can happen, but when they don't, we have put ourselves through needless suffering and made ourselves even less prepared to deal with them if they should come...the answer to 'What if...?' is, 'Don't project!'  Don't imagine the worst; deal with your problems as they arise.  Live one day at a time."

Courage to Change, p.193, "...many of us deal with our anger in inappropriate ways.  Denying it, we stuff it, or we go off in fury, directing the feelings outward.  I, for one, opt for avoidance of any conflict, and then I turn into a doormat...program encourages me to acknowledge my feelings and to be responsible for how I express them.  The problem is not that I get angry, but that I do not know how to direct my anger appropriately...Feeling our feelings is one important part of the recovery process.  Learning how to balance feelings with appropriate action is another."

In All Our Affairs, p.177, "...is a disease that can take many forms...chooses to make food his battleground.  All of his outrage, resentments, and bad feelings come out upon any meal which is placed before him.  As his disease progresses, the strictures become limiting...I came to believe that if I could only learn to fry eggs without breaking the yolk, he would never drink again.  He told me so!

"Al-Anon has taught me that I can take care of myself and that I am not obligated to accept unacceptable behavior.  I cannot control his unacceptable behavior, but I don't have to allow it to incapacitate me....have made some choices that help me live more sanely...excessive drinking can destroy taste buds.  When my spouse complains that everything he eats tastes like sawdust, he may be right.  That is not my problem.  I know today that I am not a bad or incompetent person because he doesn't like his meals.  I remind myself that if he said I was a chair, it would not make me a chair."

Dear Lord GOD Almighty Creator, the beauty, power, and grace surrounding us all is evidence of YOUR amazing, potent creativity.  Thank YOU for the gift of life and for the opportunity to be of service to YOU and my brothers and sisters.  As YOU Will.  Love, Carol xoxox