August 18 in The Little Blue Book ONE DAY at a TIME in AL-ANON
August 18 in The Little Blue Book ONE DAY at a TIME in AL-ANON:
Some of us had a long list of grievances against the alcoholic, especially while the drinking was still active. The worst possible thing we can do is to remember them, dwell on them, and polish up our halos of martyrdom. The very best we can do is to erase them from memory, so that each new day becomes an opportunity to make things better.
It is not my assignment to keep an inventory of my spouse’s faults and misbehaviors. My task is to watch for my own and root them out, so that what I say and do will help to make things better for me and for my family.
TODAY'S REMINDER
Storing up grievances is more than a waste of time; it’s a waste of life that could be lived to greater satisfaction. If I keep a record of oppressions and indignities, I am restoring them to painful reality.
I’ve found they’re surprisingly easy to forget, once I start using the Al-Anon program each day.
“The horror of that moment,” the King said, “I shall never, never forget.” “You will, though,” said the Queen, “if you don’t make a memorandum of it.” Lewis Carroll: THROUGH the LOOKING GLASS