The material presented
here is not Al-Anon Conference Approved Literature. It is a method
to exchange
information, ideas, feelings, problems and solutions on a personal
level.
The events of our past may plague us, but they did contribute to the fullness we feel today. And for them, for their involvement in who we've become, we can be grateful.
Claiming ourselves, the good and the bad, is healing. It's taking responsibility--for where we were and where we're going. Claiming ourselves makes us the active participants in our lives. The choices are many and varied. Not actively participating in life is also a choice. Passivity may have been our dominant choice in years gone by. But now, today, we are choosing recovery. We are choosing action that is healing, and wholeness is the result.
Making myself mine, will exhilarate me. It will give me hope. It will prepare me for anything to come. I will know a new joy.
Letting go of the past is truly the key. And I agree that we're products of our past. If it weren't for every event unfolding as it did in our lives, then we wouldn't be the exact people we are today. Sure, given the choice, I would have passed on many of the those "life forming" events, but nonetheless - here we are. Sometimes a little tossed around and worn down, but we're still here, and as long as we're still here, then HP isn't through with us - and there are still miracles waiting for us. "Making myself mine" - I like that - and I try to do that daily by doing things that would "make myself proud of me." That's where it all begins.
"Not actively participating in life is also a choice"
Wow, that really speaks to me. I spent too many years afraid to put myself out there. I had no confidence. Now, as my name suggests, I am taking babysteps. I started walking everyday, now I have two walking partners. I volunteer for several local organizations that have evening meetings, forcing me to get out in the world. The payback is huge. I think we often feel like we need to make major changes in our lives, but if it seems too daunting we just forget it. Making small changes, one at a time, makes the transition almost painless.
