June 6

”Never fear shadows…that always means there is a light shining somewhere.” Jonathon Santos

One of the many challenges of recovery has been learning to accept myself. This is an acceptance of not just the good parts of me, but the whole of me - my addiction, my bad choices, my regrets and loss, as well as all of the more positive things. It is the combination of those things that make up who I am today, that have faced life’s challenges and allowed me to be where I am, right in this present moment. Acceptance does not mean that I have to be willing to keep these things with me for the rest of my life however. My past I can do nothing about, but I have the choice to decide what things I wish to bring with me into the future. I have the ability to change. This is a powerful realization, that I have the capacity to  move from being “holesome”, from having my negative behaviours and attitudes predominate my life, to being wholesome. I can choose to not let the past define me, but rather motivate me to be different and focus on the better aspects, and begin leaving my old behaviours and character defects behind. I can choose not to focus on the shadows of yesterday but look towards the light shining on my face.

Affirmation In the darkness of my life, let me find the strength to continue to move towards the light of my Higher Power and recovery.