When you look deeply into your anger, you will see that the person you call your enemy is also suffering. As soon as you see that, the capacity for accepting and having compassion for them. 
Attitude Some days are just harder to get through then others. Maybe I'm overwhelmed by too many commitments. Maybe I didn't sleep well the night before and my emotions are getting the better of me. Maybe I'm just fed up with everyone and everything and can't stop myself from being snappy or snide... sure that everyone around me is just trying to test my patience. On days like these, I stop and think about what I once heard in an inspirational speech. The speaker was sharing an anecdote related to bad attitudes and he said, "If throughout the course of the day you run into someone with a bad attitude... then you run into someone with a bad attitude. Don't worry about it. It's bound to happen. Just stay positive and move along in your day but..." Here he paused for emphasis and then added, "If you run into three or more people with bad attitudes... then you're the one with the bad attitude. You're the one with the problem." Of course we all laughed, each of us being guilty of this type of denial related to our own bad behavior at one time or another. But for me... the sentiment stuck and today... if I do catch myself angry with the world, sure that everyone is against me, ready to attack at any moment... then it is time for me to check my own attitude, change my perspective, and step back onto my spiritual path and away from my shadow self." "Dear God, help me to adjust my attitude during the course of a particularly trying day. Help me to remember that each day is a gift that I must cherish." |
Reclaiming Hope After RelapseI never thought it would happen to me. I had been living in a recovery household for over 20 years. Then one day, my husband said, “I just want to let you know I drank while I was hunting.” My heart sank. I almost couldn’t believe it. I had plenty of Al‑Anon under my belt but never imagined I would need it for something like this. Thank God I already had a Sponsor, was attending meetings, had worked the Steps, and had built a support system.
My husband’s relapse sent me into what felt like a different realm. I had never known that kind of powerlessness before. I used the tools I had learned, but it was not an easy road. I couldn’t grasp the concept of the First Step for a long time. I decided to stay with him and try to work a good Al‑Anon program, but after two and a half years, my growth in the program gave me the courage to finally stop the merry-go-round ride. We separated, and that brought on a whole new hell for me. Once again, I used the tools that I had been practicing and held on for dear life. Losing the man I loved was devastating. Some days I didn’t want to go on, yet Al‑Anon principles told me there was hope: Hold On, Pain Ends. I wasn’t alone. Others had been where I was and felt what I felt. There was a Higher Power who would do for me what I couldn’t do for myself. I had to be willing to do the work, and if I worked the program and took good care of myself, I believed I would heal and grow and maybe even find happiness. It’s been two years since my divorce, and I have changed and grown a lot. I still have painful, hard days, but I’m still working the program, and today, I have more hope for myself and my future. By Jessica M., Oregon March, 2023 Reprinted with permission of The Forum, Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc., Virginia Beach, VA. 
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Today's Hope is a Recovery themed site with a focus on Friends and Families of Alcoholics and problem drinkers. We are not affiliated with any 12 Step program. The daily sharings contain a reading from
Al-Anon's Conference Approved publication The Forum, an inspirational quote/saying and a recovery based reading/meditation. The intent of Today's Hope is to share experience, strength and hope. Please take what you like and leave the rest. |