honeypig

FEBRUARY 1

You are reading from the book "The Language of Letting Go."

Step Two

Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
-- Step Two of Al-Anon

We come to believe in a better life through the powerful gift of other people--hearing them, seeing them, and watching the gift of recovery at work in their lives.

There is a Power greater than us. There is real hope now that things can and will be different and better for our life and us.

We are not in a "do it ourselves" program. We do not have to exert willpower to change. We do not have to force our recovery to happen. We do not have to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps just so we believe that there is a Power greater than ourselves--one who will get the job done in our life. This Power will do for us what your greatest and most diligent efforts could not accomplish.

Our Higher Power will restore us to a sane and beneficial life. All we do is believe.

Look. Watch. See the people around you. See the healing they have found. Then discover your own faith, your own belief, your own healing.

Today, regardless of my circumstances, I will believe to the best of my ability that a Power greater than myself can and will restore me to a peaceful, sane way of living. Then I will relax and let Him do that.

1990, Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved.

CodeJob

A lot of my hardest 'work' is learning to just be and let time unfold.

honeypig

CodeJob, that is exactly my problem too. I so struggle w/the concept that things will happen even if I myself am not making them happen. I've been shown many times that if I just sit on my hands and keep an open mind and heart, problems resolve themselves, but still I can't quite really believe this, hence I beat myself and those around me up in my mad thrashing to "make things work out."

There is a book by Sylvia Boorstein called "Don't Just Do Something, Sit There." I think I need to re-read this...

walkinganewpath

I'm struggling with this concept as well. I have accepted that I am powerless over most things - esp alcoholism and my AH's behavior. But I still think the things that are mine need to be excelled at and performed perfectly by me and only me without help.

We do not have to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps just so we believe that there is a Power greater than ourselves--one who will get the job done in our life. This Power will do for us what your greatest and most diligent efforts could not accomplish.

The other thing that I'm really struggling with is detachment/not taking responsibility for what isn't 'mine' vs the stuff I feel I MUST do or I will pay consequences (ie. having food, having a car that works, making sure kids stuff is all set for next day, taking the garbage out, keeping the pellet stove going (hauling pellets from garage). A lot of these things are what I generally label guy things - stuff we've bragged about being able to do ourselves - snowblowing, jump starting cars, carrying stuff waaayyy too heavy, etc. However in my world they are must get done things and even before AH progressed to where he is now he's a telephone repairman - always gone during/after storms or when there is a lot of OT - so I've gotten proficient.

I'm struggling with how many of his 'responsibilities' I actually drop in practicing detachment and not rescuing vs what I really need to do to keep things going for me and the kids....

schnappi99

I find myself reexamining alot of my assumptions and judgements and opinions. Perhaps your "boy's jobs" opinions might be reviewed. I'm a little triggered by the "perfectly by me" language though. I get the striving for higher standards but sit in judgement about perfection seems a stretch. Praying for help to get the trash done perfectly seems a stretch too, otoh praying for composure and patience for yourself so you can face the trash and the rest of the schedule with an open and quiet mind seems pretty good to me.