Al-Anon Lifer

Anonymous sharings from a long-time member of Al-Anon, which is a safe place to recover from the effects of alcoholism in a friend or relative...

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Wouldn't It Be Nice!

I got this letter today that promises me all my wishes will come true, like winning a million dollars, my children will find love and success, I will lose weight, I will have more friends, I will be happy in my work, etc. etc. etc., and I only have to buy this special wish ring. Just $5 plus shipping and handling and following the instructions that come with it. Wow. What a promise. Unfortunately, there is no magic ring that will make my dreams come true. There is no "secret."

Instead, there is hard work, honesty, kindness, love, service, and prayer, yes, prayer, but not the kind that asks for material wealth and a perfect body. The kind that asks "only for God's will for us and the power to carry that out." This means to me that I shouldn't even be asking God for specific things for me or my children, rather simply for God's best for us and how may I be of use to God and others.

There are days God tells me to take care of myself, to be good to myself. For example, when I suffered some head trauma in a motorcycle accident, I needed extra rest. Without it, I wouldn't be good to anybody. In fact, I was acting like I used to before recovery, shooting off my mouth, blaming others for my unhappiness, making unnecessary demands on others, and being generally miserable. After a few days of rest and doing almost nothing, I felt better.

Now I am able to serve again and enjoy life again, even if there is no shortcut to losing weight and no magic spell to make sure my children find love and happiness. There is only God, love, forgiveness, and letting go. Oh, and putting one foot in front of the other, doing the next best thing, and suiting up and showing up. All the things we hear at meetings. They do work, unlike a so-called wish ring.

Labels: , , , , ,

1 Comments:

At Sunday, August 12, 2007 10:52:00 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi there, I liked what you had to say about acceptance- without this my program crumbles.

My sober date is 12th October 1988 and so far I am a happy memeber. I have just finished reading "Pass it On" and many years ago when I lived in New York there was a sponsorship day held at the Wilson's home in Bedford- two things burned into my experience as a then new comer. the kitchen walls had row upon row of coffee cups and the office in the garden where Bill wrote.

Sitting behind his desk gave us all such a kick. Reading this book recently brought it all back to me what it means to pass it on.!

keep blogging!

my blogg: addiction awareness.co.uk

 

Post a Comment

<< Home