Courage to Change with Karen Gardinier

Everyone is welcome in Al Anon.  There are no special requirements to be a member.  

Prayer is my way to say I am willing & openminded to new information.  Prayer says I am willing to be helped.  

Focusing on my assets not only boost my self esteem but help me recover from the affects of someone else's Alcoholism. Alcoholism is a family disease and tears everyone in the family down and makes every person involved suffer. 

Regardless of the situation going on in everyone else's life I must focus on my own recovery and my own spiritual journey.  

Our painful past, our spiritual experience in this program can truly help someone else.  Passing the message of Al Anon is not only my responsibility it is my pleasure.  

A shift of perception can often make our biggest mistakes our greatest assets.  

Stepping out of Denial and being honest with ourselves will allow us to continue to grow in every area of our lives.  

Understanding Meditation

Fear is the opposite of Faith, and Faith equals ACTION!

Though things don't always go my way.  I can accept what I can not change, and change what I can by shifting my perception.

Envy is nothing more than a hostile form of self-pity.  

Learning to lean on my Higher Power to not only get me through crisis, but help grow through difficult times.  

Detaching with Love! I must let people experience their own satisfactions and disappointments.  

Words can hurt - so can snide remarks and snarky looks.  I must ask God for help everyday to change my old habits of being sarcastic and realize I'm just being mean.  Be Kind!

The 11th Step is my daily inventory to clean up anything I might have missed during the day.  If I clean up my side of the street daily I can walk into the next day a free woman and I'll never have to do a 4th step again.  

Step 10 gives me an opportunity to live in the day and clean up mistakes as I make them.  I then no longer have to carry resentments and fears with me into the next day.  

Step 9 - The key to this step is getting direction with someone who has experience with this step.  this will guarantee that you can move forward with cleaning up your side of the street while not continuing to harm yourself or others.  

Step 8 - willingness, open-mindedness, honesty and taking responsibility for my part 

Step Seven, Humility or Humiliation?

Are you holding on to defects of character because they still serve you? Perhaps they are how you have survived.  Step six is a big step and you might need to pray for the willingness to be willing.  Be openminded and keep going.  

Listening to your intuition, that little voice.  Is it God? 

The process of being honest with myself, seeing things as they are not as I'd like them to be.  

The 3rd Step saves me from doing this alone!  Open-mindedness is all I need to let new info in and shift my perception and my focus.  

Hope!  A little chink in the armor of despair!  We don't have to believe it will happen, only that it could happen!

Arguing with an active alcoholic is a waste of time and energy.  Ask God for help and don't engage.