[Leed]

Days of Healing, Days of Joy.........................................Nov. 21st.

"They are good, they are bad, They are weak, they are strong, They are wise, They are foolish - so am I"....................................Sam Walters Foss

We're not so different as we sometimes think. The fact is that almost everyone is an adult child in some way. The "they" we often position ourselves against, the supposedly normal people we may both admire and envy, are in reality all of us. Do they know more than we do? Are they healthier than we are? Are they better than we are? Who is more deserving-them? Or us? There are no correct answers to such questions.

In given situations, we all have been good and bad, weak and strong, wise and foolish. Countless situations, none of the alcohol-related, have created emotional havoc in family life. The children of these homes grew up just as unevenly as we did. They, too, have their stories, their scars, and their brave hopes. They try and fail and try again, just as we do. They are just as imperfect as we we are-and just as glorious.
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As I regain perspective, I feel a new oneness with the rest of the human race.

[madisgram]

i've benefitted in recovery by learning to be more tolerant of myself and others. what a gift that has been. i've learned there is no "all good" or no "all bad" in all of us, even the "norms". AA has taught me how to swing the pendulum to it's center. if i forget that we all are equal i suffer the consequence and have harmed others as well. that is what making amends to others has helped me to do.
i love the phrase "patience and tolerance". before i got sober i had little patience in others if they weren't quick on the ball. today i've learned my intelligence is a gift. in the workplace-i happened to be the boss-the phrase taught me patience with those who may not be as quick thinking. they have gifts i don't have so the playing field is balanced by this. it also applies to tolerance. i am not the "great i am". before sobriety i often thought i was. then pride and ego followed. there is still much for me to do as i progress.
this may sound odd but by becoming a drunk, then sobriety, and AA i found there are ways for me to recognize my qualities with humility not all puffed up. i learned to be kinder to others and kinder to myself. for that-AA's steps and sobriety i was given the gifts of the program. i don't know if i would have ever understood all these things by myself.
i am no better than anyone in this path called life. but i do think the world would be a far better world if we all practiced the golden rule. i am not perfect in all this but today i can strive to be a better person in all things. i can be more empathetic and kind to others.

[Leed]

Thank you Madisgram. You say things so much better than I can. I too have found much more patience and tolerance in others since becoming sober. Before AA, I had little patience. I was quick to judge and quick to criticize. Now I realize I am no better than others and have no right to judge or to criticize. I try to treat others with kindness and also try to be less tough on myself - which is not an easy task for me.

Thank you again Madisgram. I learn much from you. God bless. Hugs, Lee