I can’t make past wrongs disappear, but I can take actions that will help me to let them go. When I make amends, I do what I can to correct the situation. Then I an put the past in its rightful place and leave it there.

Our meetings are made up of talking and listening.  Both are essential, but an extreme of either one can deprive others of help.  When we have something to share, we share it, but when members use up limited meeting time to go on and on about personal grievances, they aren’t helping anyone, not even themselves.

Today I know that the unrecovered family members of alcoholics had a more devastating effect on me than the alcoholic did.  I must be still on my toes around them.  Even though most of my family members have a 12-step program, unfortunately the need to victimize has not been completely healed.

We have tried doing things the hard way.  This slogan reminds us that, while “hard” doesn’t do it, “easy” often does.  We may not have all the answers today.  This is not a failure, only a reality.  It is not always our job to solve every problem.

In turning to the God of our understanding for removal of our shortcomings, we find we are given countless opportunities to see our requests answered.  New situations appear in our lives, giving us opportunities either to repeat our same old responses or to practice something new.

We may think we can change the things around us according to our desires, but when a solution does come, we find it was our desires that had changed.

I believe that all these blessings, and many more, are the result of putting first things first — myself and this program — and leaving room for God to work his miracles.

Change is not dependent on a day of the year, the size of my paycheck, or what my family and friends decide to do.  Change is dependent on my willingness.  In Al-Anon I am finding the courage to change.

The unconditional love I receive in Al-Anon helps me to rediscover what love is.  As I learn that I am consistently lovable regardless of my strengths or limitations, I begin to see something consistently lovable in others, even those who suffer from an unlovable disease.

Recovery is a process, and there is no quick fix for what ails us.  Fortunately, Al-Anon reminds us to be gentle with ourselves and to turn to our higher power for help, again and again.  This is true humility.  It can be a hard lesson, but we will learn to have compassion for ourselves and others.

My family will recover or they won’t, but I like the new me, and I’ll never go back to the overly responsible sad sack I used to be.

In time, we learn that if we are feeling paralyzed and overwhelmed, we may be complicating matters or taking on more than we can handle for this moment or this day, and that we may have better luck by simplifying what we are trying to accomplish.  We can relax and try to be more gentle with ourselves, trusting that by putting one foot in front of the other, we will eventually get where we are going.

The longer the exposure to the family disease of alcoholism, the longer the adjustment takes to feel comfortable in a world that isn’t rocking, pitching, and lurching.  Like losing my sea legs, it takes time to adjust.  This is why I hear “Keep coming back.” — because it works.

First things first — you are the most important person in your life.  If you’ll put yourself and this program first, the things you’re worrying about will be taken care of.

A quiet, composed response to an enraged attack can “take the wind out of the sails” of the attacker like so much magic.  What can I possibly lose by trying it?  At least it will add to my own dignity and stature to say nothing I will later regret.

The best use we can make of the past is to face it and then move on.  We can certainly learn from all that we have experienced, but we mustn’t let it hold us back from living here and now.