August 23

”Forgiveness and letting go are steps on our road back to happiness.” Tina Dayton

Forgiveness in some areas of my life is still a challenge. There are certain people in my life who continue to hold my past against me, refusing to accept the possibility that I can change and improve myself through recovery. It is difficult to interact with these people, and some of them I have little choice because they are or were family. Yet forgiveness is something I need to do for myself, to take back the power and control I give to others by worrying or dwelling on their actions and feelings. These are things out of my control and I am better served in focusing on the ways I handle my own feelings. So here is an area that I am practicing on a regular basis. Forgiving others for things they do or say, knowingly or not, that hurt me and others close to me. They are also people that are often in my prayers, that they come to an awareness of the damage they are causing to themselves and those around them, that they too can find a way to forgive, let go, and begin healing themselves. When I can content myself to dealing with my own situation, emotions, reactions and actions, it is much easier to be happy. I find myself calmer, more at peace with myself and the world around me, and more apt to caring, sharing and loving. I am also more compassionate and recognisant of the pain and suffering of others. I am living more as a child of God than rebelling against his will.

Affirmation I can only control myself. Forgiving others and letting go will help my focus on those things within my power to manage.