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.
Todays reading is about finding compassion and understanding for others. The writer describes an alcoholic father who was also violent. The writer always considered him as bad, evil and weak. While the writer understood that alcoholism is a disease, he/she continued to judge and condemn the father for the mistreatment of his family. The event that changed this way of thinking was when the writer discovered the fathers father had also been a violent alcoholic. All of a sudden the writer could see his/her own father in a different light, even a sense of kinship as they shared a common theme in their childhoods. Through recovery, the writer was able to replace condemnation with compassion.
Considering the circumstances of other peoples lives is helpful at all times, but especially if they tend to be difficult presences in our lives. Learning and practicing compassion helps me to be more open minded and also inspires me to work on my own life and not mind the business of other people.
From Survival to Recovery(p171):
I take into account how affected I am by my past when I meet people who seem difficult, and I try to give them a break.
I hope everyone enjoys a peaceful Sunday and a happy Easter to all who celebrate.
