Wednesday, October 25, 2006

The Key....
And acceptance is the answer to all my problems today. When I am disturbed, it is because I find some person, place, thing, or situation---some fact of my life ---unacceptable to me, and I can find no serenity until I accept that person, place, thing, or situation as being exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment. Nothing, absolutetly nothing, happens in God's world by mistake. Until I could accept my alcoholism, I could not stay sober; unless I accept life completely on life's terms, I cannot be happy. I need to concentrate not so much on what needs to be changed in the world as on what needs to be changed in me and my attitudes. When I focus on what's good today, I have a good day, and when I focus on what's bad, I have a bad day. If I focus on a problem, the problem increases; If I focus on the answer, the answer increases.


From the book, Alcoholics Anonymous, pg 417
In the past months of run-away brides, dearly departed dogs, dying Dads and difficult Mothers, acceptance is indeed the key to whatever serenity I have in life.

I cannot make someone love me, keep Dad's or dogs from dying, nor at 83 years of age expect my Mother to change a lifetime of emotional character. I can, however, chose to accept these facts as they are and make the decision to do the next right thing, for me and those around me. God has a plan for me. I think he's narrowed it down to three choices: A] a rubber room in the looney bin. B] on a slab with a broken heart [literally] or C] becoming a stronger, wiser and more useful human being. God gives us the basics, it's up to us to carry it out. I choose "C", "A" and "B" are rather unappealing to me right now.