1/18 Hope for today reading:

This was the only thought I remembered from my first Al-Anon meeting: We can learn to live at peace with ourselves and others. "Live at peace with ourselves and others?" I wondered. "How do people do this?" From my alcoholic upbringing to my own family and workplace, I had never experienced a peaceful way of life. With myself, I was constantly fighting against the guilt, fear, and anger that ruled my life. With others, I was always fighting for some cause or belief, trying to make them see that my position was the right one. Of course I never won, and the wars never ceased. 
When I came to Al-Anon, I finally found the peace I desired so much. Al-Anon taught me that the path to peace is accepting the people, places, things, and situations I cannot change. Accepting myself as I am, by working Steps Four through Nine, freed me from my self-inflicted inner judge and jury. Accepting others with the use of the Serenity Prayer allowed me to stop fighting. Acceptance allows God to do what I cannot. Acceptance opens the door for my growth and leads me on my spiritual journey, one day at a time. 
Accepting the things I cannot change is not always easy; sometimes I really fight it. Because my life is always changing, there is always some new person or situation to accept. Fortunately I don't have to go through the acceptance process alone. My Higher Power provides the power, Al-Anon provides the path, and the people in the program provide the support. All I need to experience peace is to keep coming back. 
Thought for the Day 
Peace is a natural outgrowth of acceptance. 
"Except comes through the comfort we receive from members at meetings when we slowly begin to understand and care about ourselves and others . . ." 
Alateen Talks Back on Acceptance, p. 3 

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I forgot my books this time and I am traveling, so I looked online for the readings for today. I can find some days but not others this week. Does anyone know of a site where the 3 AL-ANON books readings for the day are posted? (I can only consistently find ODAT posted 

The above reading & also Courage to Change were helpful as they all are. If I am honest, I am seeing where my anxiety about someone else's choices is causing me to wish they would be different-----not accepting them where they are. If unchecked this can lead right to saying controlling things or internally obsessing about them when I have the one life in front of me I am given to live and enjoy & make choices about.

I need to remember with HP's help I can easily shift my thinking with serenity prayer, 6th & 7th step style prayers and listening to the hope I hear in the rooms. I need to be in today or "this morning" and it is all about just practicing these principles and not judging my mind when it goes off track into those wheel ruts that the disease has forged in my habitual thinking from the effects of alcoholism. I can trust HP with this next couple hrs then the next after that. MYOB MYOB MYOB. It helps to write this-thanks for anyone reading. May we all receive the reminders we need to make this a good day!

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