Good morning everyone-

Todays reading is about learning to be open in our involvement with other people, and learning to detach from the behaviors of others in order to give acceptance, respect and consideration.  The writer describes how because of how invested in alanon he/she is, participating freely and serving through setup, cleanup and chairing meetings all comes naturally. The writer feels comfortable in meetings because there is an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect, but realizes that when there have been situations lacking in this type of climate the writer would withdraw.  Through recovery he/she saw there were sometimes limitations in restricting involvement with others in this way.   The writer worked at what I consider one of the most difficult concepts: detachment. He/she worked at giving acceptance and consideration to others while detaching from their behavior and simply considering the person.  The writer focused on Live and Let Live, no longer expecting perfection from others or him/herself.

There is one sentence that stands out on this page so profoundly to me: I endeavor to accept that people are human and have human frailties and limitations, as do I.   The thought that came to me was how this levels the playing field for all of us humans.  My version of this sentence is: we are all out here just doing the best we can. Its also a reminder that before I can have any emotional entanglement with other people and their behavior, I need to reflect about my own. Several years ago I was struggling with the behavior of one of the qualifiers in my life and my sponsor reminded me that I was not in charge of the path for this person, and letting go of that would be far healthier for the qualifier and for me.

A reminder about remaining open to other people from the Thought for the Day: A sense of belonging is as necessary to my spiritual health as air is to my lungs.

I hope everyone enjoys a peaceful Sunday:)

Mary