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.
I've been posting on here for a while and have been contemplating posting this. Myself and a few other young women who have been survivors of abuse/addiction and more were featured on MTV about forgiveness.
Very nice. "Heal with me"....I think is the basis of any support group.
In my experience holding a grudge and resentment only hurt me more.................... and to forgive and then move forward was such an uplifting moment-----to let it go.
Thank you.
__________________
You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. (Dr. Suess)
I hope your TV appearance reached a lot of people struggling with similar issues. I find forgiveness of my addicted spouse extremely hard. Some days I think I have forgiven and then some days I think I still have a long way to go. I have to remind myself that my A is sick and I will never like what has happened. I can only heal myself and I'm trying as hard as I can, Lyne
I really enjoyed your post as forgiveness is something I am working hard at right now. I found the F you project inspiring and having just entered Al Anon (6 weeks in) I am already learning to heal myself and to learn to forgive (in this instance, my husband). I already know it feels better to forgive than to stay angry and full of resentment. Especially as I remind myself that my husband has an illness, one that he has managed to control for pretty much 10 years. He recently got a fantastic job after 18 months of uncertainty and wrong jobs, however, he obviously was so happy and elated he decided to celebrate with his co-workers in week 2. He didn't want to show a sign of weakness by not drinking with them. Consequently, he lost the job and he also nearly lost me and his 2 children as I found his actions utterly selfish and unforgivable at the time. 6 weeks later and we are trying to make sense of everything and take a day at a time to re-piece our lives together. He has left us financially vulnerable and I constantly worry about how we'll make ends meet. I struggle when he says he is glad this has all happened because it has given him the opportunity to focus on his life, what he really wants to do and especially to put AA and his sobriety at the top of the list again. Some days I totally get it and other days I just crave our old life where although we weren't rich but I didn't worry about how we'd make ends meet. I honestly don't know what will happen. I'm just learning to not panic which is usually my default setting and to take a day at a time, keep it simple and most of all to forgive.
