Well as many of you know I have quite the resentment for the former wife. I've been praying daily for a God to give me the willingness to forgive. Today I woke up and just couldn't be a hater no more no matter how I tried. I'm actually able to seperate the person from the action and love her unconditionally. I get really see her as another sick friend and pray for her. I guess at some point you just got to give up surrender let it go. If you can't beat em join them it certainly is the easier softer way. For the first time I was able to focus all my attention onto my 13 yo son who is struggling. I was there for him outside of my self centered self and was able to be emotionally supportive. He spend yesterday and today with me. What a blessing and am extremely grateful. Next week I'm taken him again for the weekend and we are going deep sea fishing. Id be lying if I said I was looking foward to it and excited. But I want to pull myself back and keep it in today. This is possible only cause I didn't drink today.
I'm so happy that you are able to spend some quality time with your son. I too have had my problems with being able to forgive certain people in my past. But I just can't go on with all this anger and hatred in my heart. I wish you all the best with your search for peace and I hope you have a wonderful time fishing with your son
Sounds like real solid change for the better Enigma, ... good job ... turning things over wasn't easy for me ... but when I finally did, life was so much easier on me ... again, thank God and this program ...
__________________
'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
Many years ago I had a deep and abiding hatred for my physically and mentally abusive step-mom. I didn't want to forgive her, or let it go, but between a thorough 4th Step inventory, and the story "Freedom from Bondage" in the back of the Big Book, I finally became convinced that I must forgive her in order to save my sorry butt. What the inventory showed me is that, at some point along the way, I had stopped seeing her as a human being, and I had relegated her to the ranks of "sub-human". Once I gave her back her humanity, I could forgive her with little effort.
Had that not happened...I wouldn't be here talking to any of you today.
Blessings...Mike D.
-- Edited by Mike D on Monday 30th of June 2014 04:38:41 PM
What I learned was that resentment was like a leash that someone, place or thing held and which they used to control me and lead me around all of the time to places I never wanted to be at times I never wanted to be there. So it was like being owned and I don't like being owned by anyone. I Hated and hated being owned by hatred so I just had to learn how to "Let go and let God, and Turn it over. Hating is an option not a must. There are alternatives to Hate and one of the best ones for me is unconditional acceptance which is my definition today of love. It works when you work it and then of course that is also an option isn't it? Keep coming back.
What I learned was that resentment was like a leash that someone, place or thing held and which they used to control me and lead me around all of the time to places I never wanted to be at times I never wanted to be there. So it was like being owned and I don't like being owned by anyone. I Hated and hated being owned by hatred so I just had to learn how to "Let go and let God, and Turn it over. Hating is an option not a must. There are alternatives to Hate and one of the best ones for me is unconditional acceptance which is my definition today of love. It works when you work it and then of course that is also an option isn't it? Keep coming back.
Master Pao to young Kwai Chang Caine:
"Hatred is a chain connecting you to the object of your hatred. Cut the chain on your end."