Hello Paul thank you for posting your thoughts on this reading I believe that developing these 2 attitudes were crucial to my recovery. Meetings, the slogans and Steps all helped me to look inward, discover, my hidden controlling drivers, release them and finally grow into acceptance and surrender. Life on life's terms is certainly a powerful way to live.
Thanks for your service

Good afternoon MIP - thank you Paul for your service and the daily. Thank you all for the ESH above me. I too am grateful that choosing acceptance over trying to control, change, cure others has given me a path to a more peaceful life. And I fought surrendering until the pain got so great, I wasn't positive I wanted to continue life as was/is.

These two little words were extremely helpful for me in simplifying life. To this day, anytime I begin to feel discomfort with another person, place or thing, I turn inward to test if it's a 'me thing' or if it's a real thing. The longer I am in recovery, I find my discomfort way less frequent, and my acceptance of things and people as they are.

I am grateful that I no longer give me power away to others freely. I am grateful that recovery allows me to spend quality time with quality people. I am grateful that we have so many tools to help us get to where we want to be. Starting my day with HP helps me remember that surrendering is NOT a bad thing and acceptance of others as they are in a given moment is actually the highest form of love I can give/feel.

I am cooking 10 lbs. of corn beef, taters, cabbage, carrots and more for our Irish Feast!! We are doing it today/tonight vs. tomorrow based on schedules. As a testament to how well the program works when we work it - my AH decided to put the new, expensive, memory foam dog bed I bought Layla out on the patio for added comfort when he was golfing. I am a neat/clean freak and would never have done this as I try hard to keep the outside dirt outside!!!

Needless to say, it rained here overnight. I did not notice the newest bed was MIA as she's got 2 others - 1 in each of her favorite rooms. So - when I went to let her out this morning, I saw it. Trust me when (before coffee) my first thought was far from pleasant, spiritual or even quasi-kind. As I brewed the coffee and looked around, I realized he made an effort to clean the kitchen and had vacuumed the entire first floor (super-sized ... all carpeted). He had done some laundry and a few other things that are typically my responsibility. He had gotten all the mail and sorted out the bills/important from the junk.

In summary, my HP was helping me get my focus back to the effort vs. the results. He was trying to make my dog, who is older, more comfortable. And - it's just a darn dog bed!!! I was able to thank him instead of berate, inquire, chastise or belittle his efforts - that's what I've learned in Al-Anon.

(((Hugs)))

Thank you for your service Paul and ESH from all. I am truly at my wits end tonight and as much as I understand that I am powerless it is extremely difficult watching my AS self destruct with his 5 month pregnant wife in the midst of the storm. Although he is not physically violent he gets verbally ugly. She set a boundary with him last time around that she wouldn't stay if he was drinking. He poured everything down the drain and all was well until last week and he relapsed. So she backed her boundary and went to stay with a relative for a few days. Tonight we get another call :she is sick and he is drunk and just saying ugly things. Well it's 10 pm and we don't want our pregnant daughter in law out looking for a place to sleep so my RAH decided to just go in and spend the night for everyone s peace of mind. This is so sad to watch.