wisdom collected on the journey, with love from Lea
Follow the link below for an excerpt from Opening Our Hearts, Transforming Our Losses found on the Al-Anon.org blog It covers the Family Disease, Uncertainty and Crisis/Chaos, Living with Chronic Illness due to Alcoholism, Anticipatory Grief, and Detachment. https://al-anon.org/blog/opening-hearts-transforming-losses/
But they are still living in my head. … heard at a meeting
We don’t share another’s identity, but we can share our own, if we want.
From Anne Lamott’s Dusk, Night, Dawn (2021) From the Internet
Heard in a Sponsorship Workshop Doing Al-Anon without a sponsor is like going to the swimming pool and watching other people swim. Sponsorship is not a lifetime commitment. Letting go is not a sign of failure The sponsor holds the … Continue reading “Sponsorship” →
Lois W., the wife of Bill W., co-founder of AA, says in her story, ‘After a while I began to wonder why I was not as happy as I ought to be since the one thing I had been yearning … Continue reading “Shoes” →
Giving up will leave you broken, letting go will leave you empowered.
A growing collection of nuggets heard in meetings and online. If you have to fight monsters, don’t become a monster in the process. Faith is hope with a good track record. Don’t believe everything you think. I go to meetings so … Continue reading “Heard in a Meeting” →
I was talking to a friend one evening and she shared how she dealt with her resentments. I remember going home happy because I didn’t think I had a resentment problem. I was wrong. That night my … Continue reading “Cleaning My Hard Drive: An Exercise in Working The Steps” →
In a candlelit room, peering into a crystal ball, a fortune teller delivered devastating news to a woman who had come seeking answers about her alcoholic husband. “There’s no easy way to tell you this, so I’ll just be blunt,” … Continue reading “Crystal Ball” →
Denial is the shock-absorber of the soul. — Heard in a meeting
a saying used in places where people depend on camels for transportation: “Trust in God and tie your camel to a tree.”
Dear HP, it’s your shift. See you in the morning.
Forgive yourself for not knowing better at the time. Forgive yourself for giving away your power. Forgive yourself for past behaviors. Forgive yourself for the survival patterns and traits you picked up while enduring trauma. Forgive yourself for being who … Continue reading “Forgive Yourself” →
My goal is to build a life I don’t need a vacation from.
In forgiving, we change from being the victim in our story to being the hero.
I have character defects and I am not afraid to use them.
One day, an old man was walking along a beach that was littered with thousands of starfish that had been washed ashore by the high tide. As he walked he came upon a young boy who was eagerly throwing the … Continue reading “The Starfish Story” →
Enabling is unhealthy. Generosity is healthy. Recognizing the difference is recovery.
Sometimes, I am asked why I still go to “those meetings.” Yes, I have been in Al-Anon for a very long time, but my reply is simple. I came to Al-Anon because of alcoholism, but I stayed because of my … Continue reading “Why Do I Still Go To Those Meetings?” →