That is a phrase that I heard many times when I first came to Al-Anon  and never quite understood what it meant.

I know today but am curious about what it makes u think of when you hear it?   Will wait to see your replies.  thanks Louise

Interesting Abby...  it makes me think of your footer & to give myself a chance...  and if you sit back with open mind, ears/eyes, heart & soul that Miracles will happen before you.

The more awareness I have, the more I can be aware of.

Nice post!

love, -K

Hi abby - when I hear that, I think it is telling me to stick around because I never know what working the program will eventually show me. For example I know I came in here not knowing what it meant to be a woman and balance work and family without being a shrew ;) , how to be in a marriage not having seen too many successful ones myself, etc.., and when I lack confidence I look at the women around me who are happy and living their lives to the best of their ability. I believe that will happen for me, too, if I keep coming back. -Hope.

I hadn't heard that, before my ex, who is 3+ years sober now, said that to me, in bitterness, a few months ago....  I guess the intention is that we can truly "let go and let God", and that miracles can and will happen....

I don't like the saying, per se, cuz it feels too much like a "should" saying to me....  I don't like sayings, or people, who "should on me"....

Take care

Tom

To me it means - relax, do my part, and then just calm down and let Hp and other people do theirs. It means that I don't have to get impatient waiting for things to get better right this minute, that people recover slowly, like seeds sprouting, and not overnight. I agree that this saying could be interpreted as "You need to stay with a situation that seems hopeless, because it may change" but to me, that's not the meaning. I spend much of my time with small children, and also cooking and gardening. A stew isn't ready in half an hour, bread dough needs to rise, babies need to practice new skills, rest, and practice some more. For all of these things, if you just checked every five minutes, it would look like nothing was happening, but in fact, great changes are in the works.

Don't leave before the Miracle..... at first thought, that to me was saying I'd see a change in my qualifier.  As I continued to come to Al-Anon, I came to see it saying to give the program a chance to help me make a change in myself, in my life, and perhaps in those around me as they began to act differently in response to my own change.  Both my first thought and subsequent thoughts were those of literally not leaving the program.

Now I also see it as applying to me as a reminder to not give up on myself, to keep my faith and hope that with HP anything is possible if I only allow it, if I truly Let Go and Let God.  In other words... don't leave myself.  To believe in myself.  To take what I have learned and continue to learn and apply it in all my life, wherever I may be or go. 

Is the "miracle" sobriety or knowing how to deal with this disease?  Not for me (although both of those are wonderful things too)... I believe the miracle is knowing that no matter what, I know I'll be okay now.  I know that even on my worst days I can get thru them, that "this too in time shall pass", and that I will always have others who understand but mostly I have myself and my HP.  That even on those worst days I can still look outside at nature and see beauty and be thankful I am alive to see that.  A miracle of a change in attitude and thinking, of being able to truly accept others just as they are and not try to change them to what I think they should be.  That when I "slip", I at least now have awareness of that and can pull myself back up by the bootstraps and make amends as needed and strive to do better.  And that it is okay to be human and imperfect.

To me I think it means that Alanon is a lifelong commitment. That I should stick around till I see the miracle of me, what I can become, if I let myself.

Abbey, I look for miracles daily, big and small. I used to think of a miracle as something like the "The parting of the Red Sea", an extraordinary happening that was magical. Now I look for the small ones too. My daughter was planning on moving to MI with my Grandson (Devyn, 21 mo.) because my X had bought her a house, quite tempting. It was tearing me up inside to lose my Grandson that I watched come in to the world and lives 2 streets over. I had prayed, not for HP to keep them here, but for them to be happy and for me to be able to deal with the loss. Last weekend daughter went to MI to visit her Dad and wicked Stepmother. The Stepmother was mean to Devyn as she had been to my daughter. When my daughter was little, the stepmother crammed green beans down her throat because daughter wouldn't eat them. This time, she dumped Devyn off of a sled face down in the snow to "give him something to cry about". Daughter called me and said NO WAY is she going to move there!! (Thank you HP). She was also grateful to HP for showing her it would be a huge mistake, free house or not. She was to move in Feb. Devyn is a miracle himself (that's another story), and another small miracle happened to keep him here. They are almost daily happenings if we look for them. Don't Quit Just Before the Miracle....to me means ..never stop expecting them to happen.

What a wonderful question.  I have learned in the last year that there are miracles everyday, it's my job to find them.  Recently in my prayer for strength I realized that I could ask for a miracle for my A.  I had been working on for months, the letting go and letting God.  When I asked my HP to heal my A, I acknowledged that he is is the one that preforms such great feats like miracles.  I stepped back, it is hard but today is 23 days of my A being clean and sober!  One day is a miracle to me.  Babies are a miracle to me.  Al-Anon is a miracle to me.  So much love and support on an internet board....THAT IS A MIRACLE TO ME....I guess having the attitude of grattitude helps. (that is one of things I am working on now) So sticking with things in our lives, I guess is what the waiting is about, (unless we are in danger, emotionally and physically) if we leave or give up we may not get the chance to witness the miracles in our lives.

Hugs Mary