Thank you Betty for your service and the daily. I really love this reading as it is in recovery that I learned to feel @ parity with others - not better than and not less than. Part of my daily prayer/routine is to ask for the grace to be open to continue learning and growing as I remind myself each day what I am facing for that day and that I have a new plan for dealing with life on life's terms.

I too had unrealistic expectations as well as fairy-tale thoughts prior to recovery. It's no wonder I was so wounded - my ego and distorted thinking thought and felt I was entitled to more and things were so unfair 'for me'. In recovery, I have learned that everyone is struggling with something, nobody has a perfect life, fairy-tales are for books/movies and how I deal, heal and feel is what matters and drives how I respond.

I am grateful for each person that comes into my life as I believe there is a reason and a purpose for them/that to be. Happy Tuesday to you and all - off to golf in a bit - record low temperatures this morning so it could be a bit cold for a while! Make it a great day!

Thank you Betty for your service and IAH for ESH. This reading reminded me of how sick I had become, having had one marriage failed and a second one failing, both to addicted people. But what is remarkable now is that I couldn't see how removed from reality I actually was. My son kept telling me I needed help, and I resented hearing that. After all, if my A just got sober, things would be fine. WRONG!

I think the wounds from my FOO set me up nicely to be with addicts. And actually there is no one to blame. Everyone was doing the best that they could do, with what was given to them. So when my sponsor was having me write gratitudes and assets daily, it felt so tedious and unnatural. I was in pain and wantd to feel better right away. And that daily process, done over quite a long time, has helped me become a much healthier person. I try to see the best in people and events as a regular practice, and I thank my sponsor and all that Alanon offers me, Lyne

Thank you Betty for your service, and to Iamhere and Lyne for some good ESH!

I have learned that I had unrealistic expectations and fairy-tale thinking in my marriage. I am coming to terms with my part. Hard to face sometimes, but living with this disease does change you! So much negativity from me!! All while putting on the mask of "All is Fine." In my 4th Step, I admitted that I felt entitled... to a perfect marriage, to a perfect job, perfect life. I truly felt that if I only did x,y,z, that it would all fall into place. Except it never did. I "managed" harder... still not the results I wanted.

I have learned that I just could not live each day AS IT WAS. I always wanted something more, and by golly, I was going to make it happen! LOL! I can now see that as such folly!
Al-Anon fellowship - whether here on MIP or at my F2F meeting - helps to remind me that I have no entitlement. That I should just take One Day at a Time. It also helps remind me that it will be alright... I just need to have faith.

Thank you Betty for this very important message I need to be reminded of

I, too, thought the program would magically erase all the problems and pain in my life and that I would live a charmed existence. Boy was I wrong. Life has no less brutal, I am just learning how to cope better

Some of the greatest lessons I have learned have come from the newcomer. Everybody has something to offer. We Are all equal Travellers in this

Harsh judgement and secret superiority are character flaws I must consciously make the effort not to feed when I am tempted to react to things that threaten me. Change was scary. Letting go of my protective survival responses in order to learn new ways of being was scary and sometimes still is. Yet when I do have the courage to cultivate change the fear is replaced by a happiness. It feels like work and work well done. One of the first steps to growth I achieved thanks to alanon was becoming reliable. I am still growing in this trait but am quite proud of the improvement and progress. Where once my ego would dismiss my failings as the fault of others, over time self esteem grows. I can think of moments or events where I have behaved reliably and feel good about myself so there's no need to go on attack as defence. Thank you dear Betty for your service and the share.