December 17

”Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength; loving someone deeply gives you courage.” Lao Tzu

Love is a part of my life that I have only begun to understand correctly in my recent recovery. It is not about seeking, about getting what I want, or about having things I deserve. Rather, love is about sharing, about spreading the joy I have inside with others, about wanting to put someone else before me. I love not to be loved in return, but simply because I am filled with it and I need to pass it along. I now have people in my life who love me deeply, some who always have but I never recognized it, like my parents, and others who are a more recent addition. Nonetheless, knowing that others care strongly for me gives me strength to want to continue in this new life, to keep on progressing in becoming a better person. I am also learning how to love deeply, to be fully committed to other people, to be truly intimate and to be part of a partnership. Relationships may be based on give and take, yet I can half participate, only giving when I know that I will get something in return. Nowadays, I give simply because I am able, and I am less expectant of what might come back as a result. I have more courage to face the world because of the depth of my love of others.

Affirmation May God grant me all the love I need today to share with others, to spread joy and happiness, and to propel me along my path of recovery.