“Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.” ~~A.A. Milne
“Silent gratitude isn’t very much to anyone.” ~~Gertrude Stein
“You cannot do a kindness too soon because you never know how soon it will be too late.” ~~Ralph Waldo Emerson
#7 Love can change the course of my world.
Caring is all-important
Before New Life, caring, or gratitude was misplaced. I had cared for and idolized alcohol, looking to it for comfort, escape and self-soothing. Yet it had the opposite effect, sending me barreling into distress, isolation, and emotional anguish. It was an exhausting way to live life.
Sobriety and Statement #7 in action redirect caring and create a bridge for love to grow and expand. Gratitude can be a launching pad for love to change course. Here is an excerpt from author Zoe Shaw from her book A Year of Self Care:
“Make a collage of all the things for which you are grateful. You can find pictures in a magazine or on the internet, even better, take them yourself. Take a picture of your bedroom, your children, a vase of flowers, whatever exists in your environment for which you are grateful. This is like a vision board, except these things already exist in your life. Putting your gratitude into a visual form solidifies the reality of all there is to be thankful for. The more you visualize it, the easier it will be to notice more opportunities for gratefulness.”
Gratitude promotes caring and caring creates connection, which consists of love. Feeling connected eliminates the desire for escape and provides the path for self-soothing. We can validate and balance our lives through the practice of gratitude with each day being a living example of Statement #7. Love does change the course of my world!
Hugzzz
Karen
Hi 4C Women,
Karen’s description of caring and gratitude before WFS really hit home. I wanted to bury my pain, escape from the results of my actions, letting alcohol make my decisions. I didn’t think I was lovable so believing that love could change the course of my world felt near impossible to me. Sobriety and the willingness to believe Statement #7 began to change how I defined myself and became my first awareness of gratitude for my New Life.
I love the idea of creating a collage and seeing the things that already exist that I am grateful for. It makes me realize that I have an abundant source of gratefulness and love. Being an extremely sentimental person, I tend to hold on to things that bring loving feelings to my heart. Whether on zoom or f2f, it would be fun to share an item or two that you feel exemplifies caring and gratitude in your life.
Here is one thing I’ve learned – the job of loving myself is just that – my responsibility. For so long I held onto the hope that if I was lovable enough, I would no longer turn to alcohol to fill my empty love tank. I became such a people pleaser that I truly lost any idea of who I was. Slowly, I started to acknowledge my loving qualities thanks to this Statement and the entire WFS program. I learned to love myself where I was at and to care about my well-being. Jean Kirkpatrick always said this journey is not a competition, that it can be self-defeating to compare ourselves with where others are. I was so grateful for that powerful message. It is crucial to love and care for who you are at this moment. Nurture yourself, be your own best friend, embrace yourself with positive self-talk, reminding yourself that you are worth the hard work, that there will be ups and downs. Most importantly, the downs are not barriers but life-lessons to learn, grow and heal.
Question to ponder and perhaps share: Was there a time in your life when love changed the course of your world?
Bonded in gratitude for loving and caring for ourselves and others, Dee
More On Statement #7