“Every good thought is a prayer.” ~ Alcoholism, The Family Disease
Perhaps then it can also be said that every deep breath is a meditation. Al-Anon is a gentle program, and nowhere is that gentleness more apparent than in its unrestricted interpretation of prayer and meditation. In Al-Anon there is no ‘right way’ to practice prayer and meditation, and -just as importantly- there is not ‘wrong way’.
There are endless directions in which these practices may lead us. All routes lead to one destination: a deeper experience of the working of a God of our understanding in our lives.
Today’s reading: “I pray for my Group”
I learned about Al-Anon by chance and went there because of curiosity. During that last two years, my life was reasonably calm compared with what I have had from my childhood. My father is an alcoholic, even though he does not admit that. Since an early age I leaned what it is to have a drunk father. I can’t even describe it. It is a mass of offense, shame, humiliation, contempt, aversion, hate- and at the same time love, because he is my father and I don’t have another one.
By God’s will, circumstances made him give up drinking for some time. He was in treatment for three years; otherwise he would lose his job. And now for two years our family has lived in peace and calm.
After I came to Al-Anon I started to look at many things with different eyes. It’s a pity that I didn’t’ know all that before. My mother and I did not know that it was not in our power to change him, if he himself did not want that. How much effort was spent on minor things to hide the bottles, to control his money, to avoid fighting.
All our lives were spent on that. We didn’t have time for anything else. We tried to control his behavior and control his drinking in every way. When it didn’t’ work, we felt so insulted. Then a fight would take place at home. During the last five years it happened every day.
In Al-Anon I learned that in spite of all that, I should have lived my life and taken care of my problems, not his.
I like the meetings of our group. Due to them I feel some spiritual growth. They help me to come close to God, to accept my life as it is, and not to complain about my fate. My situation is much easier than some other group members’- because my father doesn’t drink now, and I am not under stress, as I was for many years.
Now I understand God more deeply and pray more often. I ask God to give all members of our group the strength to live this life without losing our dignity or spending our spirit for nothing. I’ll try with my group’s help not to make the same mistakes I made before. I am thankful that there is a group in our city that helps people to solve their problems.
“What is my prayer for myself, my family or my group?
The website link to the group meeting room is http://www.12stepforums.net/chatroom2.html. There are other ways to join the room also. Using mIRC or other chat client, the server we are on is irc.chat4all.org, port 6667. which users will need to add to their IRC server list, and our room name (#alanonchat) to their IRC channels.
-- Edited by Overcome on Sunday 28th of July 2013 01:42:42 PM
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I can Overcome all things through my HP who strengthens me.
