Photo Credit: Davood Madadpoor
Judy Brown wrote: “The Fire”
“… a fire
grows
simply because the space is there,
with openings
in which the flame
that knows just how it wants to burn
can find its way.”
My reflection: When my son was in active addiction, I felt an urgency to respond quickly as if a delayed response would cause greater harm to him. What I learned was that when I took the time to pray for wisdom and think about my response, the results were better for all of us.
Today’s Promise to consider: A Divine Pause gifts us with the time and space that we often need to respond skillfully. Fire grows in the openings between the logs, music seeps into our being in the pauses between the notes, and our interior growth happens in the quiet of our soul. Today, I will take time to pause, pray, contemplate, and heal.
So beautiful…thank you, Libby and Jeff
Love, Nanci
Thanks, Nanci, for your love and compassion. Love to you, my friend.
How lovely are these words. Thank you so much.
My dearest Dinny, Thanks for allowing me to walk this road with you. Love to you.
Thanks for your uplifting message
Thanks, Al, for your support and compassion.
Libby, your beautiful spirit illuminates your experiences and our own. Thank you to you and to Jeff for being willing to open your lives in this way. Much gratitude to you both ~
Dear Pamela, Jeff and I work together on each of these entries, and I’ve learned much from him. His sobriety is based on his spirituality, and he inspires me. Our love to you.
Priceless Libby! Here is a very valuable tool for parents to help in responding appropriately. It is a flip chart and there are eight tabs with the most common topics parents are confronted with by their addicted child. For example,, one tab is, “It’s OK – Answer the Phone.” You just flip open that topic and there are numerous suggestions on how to respond. it’s called, “What Do I say?” A helpful guide for difficult phone conversations. Literature #1026 at http://www.familiesanonymous.org or 800-736-9805. I found it absolutely invaluable.
Thanks, Pat. I’ve never seen this or even heard about it. It’s a valuable resource. Thanks for continuing to help us help others. We join hands and walk together. I’m grateful for your help and support.
This has been absolutely critical in my recovery work, allowing for the space. I would re-act out of fear and emotion time and time again, say and do crazy things. Rarely is there anything in life that requires absolute immediate attention. A fellow Families Anonymous member shared at a conference that he rarely responds to anything before he allows 24 hours to pass. Of course there are exceptions, but for the most part, when I wait, I am then acting, if necessary, from a place of sanity and peace. Or maybe I choose to do nothing at all.
Dear Mindy, Yes, I understand and I, too, felt an urgency to respond immediately. In fact, I put a sign on my bathroom mirror that said, “Wait 24 hours before making a decision.” I needed a constant reminder. I agree that when we wait and pray, our answers come from a place of thoughtful consideration and peace. God bless you. Thanks for writing.