Remembering to Laugh!

I just had a great visit with an Al-Anon friend. After a couple of hours of sharing with a little bit of crying, I remembered something that has helped me in the past: to laugh at the crazy people in my life.

I remembered how much it helped to take this stance when my spouse was toward the end of his drinking days. Although quite intelligent, he would say the stupidest things in his denial. My daughter and I would laugh rather than get upset.

It not only worked to lighten the mood in the house, but I hadn't done anything for which I had to make amends.

And I felt better, too, because I can just take things way too seriously...

A Mother's Day to Remember

So I'm visiting my mother-in-law for Mother's Day weekend and not only does she take a bad fall but I fall and end up with stitches and on crutches. Before our mishaps I was about ready to call my family 200 miles away and plan a get-together, against my sponsor's wishes as well as my counselor's recommendation to "stay away."

The message I got from my Greater Power? Stick with the people who love and care about you and take care of yourself, first and foremost. As my sponsor says, I've already made my amends to my family, showing up to say "hi," help, and caretake over and over again with the same results - criticism and judgment, blaming and shaming.

Like my counselor says, "Why would you stick an icepick in your ear?" Enough said.