The full version of the serenity prayer continues after the four lines most are familiar with, the next three lines are:
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
It's that last line that caught my eye when I first read the full version. It seemed so counterintuitive to accept hardship. Aren't we supposed to be strong and vibrant, finding our true strength and self in overcoming the hardships that come our way? But to simply accept a hardship - how could that possibly give me peace? Yet when prompted by my sponsor to just try it for awhile, and let me tell you I wore his cell phone out with my calls during this phase, I found that it worked. It's realizing that some things simply will not change, irrespective of what is "fair" or "right." When I can truly accept these things, I find that I am no longer chained to them. I don't have to love having to accept, but I have to accept none the less. And once I get over the initial hurt, sense of un-fairness, and negative feelings, I find that what remains is peace.
Dessyflash, peace be with you.