Just a thoughtful read
 

"One beautiful day, a man sat down under a tree, not noticing it was full of pigeons. Shortly, the pigeons did what pigeons do best. The man shouted at the pigeons as he stormed away, resenting the pigeons as well as the offending material. But then he realized that the pigeons were merely doing what pigeons do, just because they're pigeons and not because he was there. The man learned to check the trees for pigeons before sitting down."

"Active alcoholics are people who drink. They don't drink because of you or me, but because they are alcoholics. No matter what I do, I will not change this fact, not with guilt, shouting, begging, distracting, hiding money or bottles or keys, lying, threatening, or reasoning. I didn't cause alcoholism. I can't control it. And I can't cure it."

"I can continue to struggle and lose. Or I can accept that I am powerless over alcohol and alcoholism and let Al-Anon help me to redirect the energy I've spent on fighting this disease into recovering from its effects."

"Today's Reminder: It's not easy to watch someone I love continue to drink, but I can do nothing to stop them. If I see how unmanageable my life has become, I can admit that I am powerless over this disease. Then I can really begin to make my life better."

"'It stands to reason that a change in us will be a force for good that will help the entire family.'" (This last sentence if from the book "How Can I Help My Children?")

Hello Life,

Have you seen the movie "Steel Magnolias"? The opening scene is the husband responsible for clearing the birds out of their trees. So he uses a gun to startle them. Pretty funny. Might as well have a little humor.

All the best to you.

The pigeon analogy is one of my favorites. It helps when my toddler is being a typical almost-two-year-old and I want to lock myself in the bathroom and either laugh hysterically or cry. Or both. It's one of the best ways to relate alcoholism to people who don't understand why they can't fix it. Thanks for sharing.