Good morning! My name is Lauren and I'm a grateful, recovering alcoholic/addict. I am thinking a lot about forgiveness. I have learned I need to forgive others as fast as I think God should forgive me. I also shouldn't do "bad" things only because I know God will forgive me. I have to really think who else it will hurt, and how they may forgive me. Is what I'm doing really worth, hurting others. What am I getting out of it? People make mistakes. Lord know I've done my share, and still will. Just hopefully, not like I was making. Not making the same mistakes, over and over and over again. It was a vicious circle of messing up, saying I was sorry, making broken promises, and doing it again. It was insanity. Today I know we all make mistakes and I can't hold grudges forever for people doing wrong things. That is hypocritical. I have been there, and expected forgiveness, now I should do the same. Today I don't forgive because I have to, but because I want to. I truly understand the imperfect nature of humans. I am stronger today for making mistakes and learning from them, not staying in that selfish circle of lies. Well, that's all for today! Have a great one!
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Good morning! My name is Lauren and I'm a grateful, recovering alcoholic/addict. Today is my daughter's 7th birthday. I am so proud of her. She is an amazing, smart, funny girl. This past year, our relationship has grown so much. For a while I was just a mom, that took care of her physical needs, and attempted to be there, but with alcohol involved, it wasn't 100%. I will never be able to get back that time, but I can only do what I can today, and that is to be the best mom I can be. The mom my kids deserve to have. She has always loved me, but I feel now we are closer, have a stronger bond than before. She was at the age where she didn't know what was going on, but she did. She is smart. But she sees me now, and sees me as the mom that will always be there for me. The mom she can tell anything to. The mom she can trust to help her through anything. Lord knows, I have probably done it. On the other hand, with my mom too. For a while, I pushed her away. I wanted to do things my way, the right way. (right) :) But I finally figured out, I can't do it alone. She has always been there for me, to love me, to care for me, to listen to me, to forgive me. Today I am trying to be the best mom and daughter I can be. I love you mom! I love you Laney and happy birthday! Love you, love you, love you! Everyone else, have a great day!
Good morning! My name is Lauren and I'm a grateful, recovering alcoholic/addict. Getting sober has made be less selfish. I am in no way saying I am perfect now, just getting better at my flaws. Knowing I can't do things alone. I have stopped trying to do everything myself. What Henry Ford said, can be used in all aspects of my life; family and business. It is not just coming together, but staying and working at it. A relationship needs these to work. Working together is the key. It is a process. It doesn't just magically happen. You have to work at it, together, both parties. In personal relationships this is not just physical, but an emotional and spiritual job. My husband and I have had to work through a lot during the past few years. We are at an understanding of each others needs and respect each others opinions and compromise to make it work. We have become a team instead of 2 individuals working toward the same goal, but each doing it our own way. Teamwork is an important piece of success. It's amazing what we can accomplish when we work together. That's all for today. Have a great one!
Good morning! My name is Lauren and I'm a grateful, recovering alcoholic/addict. When I was in treatment, I knew I was going to have to earn my trust back from everyone: my husband, my children, my parents, friends, and boss. Each one was going to be different. I lied to all of them, but in different ways. I lied to make myself think that what I was doing, ok. I had broken each person's trust in different way. I knew that just me saying I was sorry, was not going to be enough. You can only say sorry so many times, before it has no meaning at all. Pretty soon, it just becomes words you say, to make yourself feel better after doing something wrong. Saying sorry is different than apologizing. To me, an apology is a true change of heart, an understanding that I was wrong, in what I did or said. And my trust was not going to be gained my telling everyone I was sorry, and I wasn't ever going to do it again. It was earned by actions. Me living what I was sorry for, in the right way day after day. I had to be able to trust myself too. Another phrase I like is, "Trust takes years to earn, seconds to break, and forever to repair." Boy is that true. I know for some people, I may never fully get their trust back, and that is my own fault. But I can work every day towards that. To be honest, and truthful. To be living my words through actions. That's all for today! Have a great one!
Good afternoon! My name is Lauren and I'm a grateful, recovering alcoholic/addict. Listening and communication have been a topic the past few days. A relationship is based on trust. Without trust, there is nothing. To be able to trust, you have to be honesty, and to be fully honest there must be an open line of communication. All these things together create a relationship. A relationship is based on these 3 principles, the triangle holding it together. Without one of them, the relationship has a faulty foundation. With bad communication can cause honesty issues which in turn shakes the trust factor. Each one needs the other. They are all dependant on the others. Each day I face these facts. In any relationship I have, be it family, friends, or even work. I knew when I got out of treatment, I was going to have to earn people's trust back. It wasn't go to be easy. They weren't just going to give it to me. But for me to do that, I had to work on the other 2 factors, to improve my chances at ever getting that back. I have to be honest, and open, and communicate to those my feelings. I have heard another phrase, "Trust is like a piece of paper, once it is crumpled it will never be perfect." I know this, but can only do what I can with what I have, and that will have to do. I crumpled up that paper, now I am ironing out. Day by day, it is getting smoother. That's all for today! Have a great one!
Good morning! My name is Lauren and I'm a grateful, recovering alcoholic/addict. More about communication. I really like this quote. A lot of the time I think what I am trying to get across is what they are hearing from me. The thought of good communication, when in fact is is way off, is worse than none at all. John Powell said, "Communication works for those who work at it." If you don't try, it won't ever happen. It is something you have to work on. I have always thought I had good communication skills, but the more I really look at it, I am good at expressing how I feel and being honest it about it now. But me listening and really hearing what you say, is the whole other side of communication. It is a two way street. I need to express to you how I feel, but also need to listen to your voice. Work as a team to really understand each other and respect each other. I have always been outgoing and outspoken. But an learning to be humble and quiet. I am trying to be more of a listener. I still talk a lot. LOL. But am trying to slow down and listen more. Practicing daily, true communication and conversations. Have a great day!
Good morning! My name is Lauren and I'm a grateful, recovering alcoholic/addict. At work yesterday, I was listening to a book on tape called, "Crucial conversations." WOW! What a wake up call. I heard things I never thought of or if I did, knew that was how I was supposed to talk to people, but it never came out like that. In my head, I am always right. In reality, I'm not and it's hard to for me to accept that. My defense mechanism is sarcasm. I think things in my head, and think he is supposed to know exactly how I feel, when he might be totally clueless. The way I look at things may be totally opposite from the way he thinks, but I think he should feel the same way I do. We grew up in two totally different home lifestyles. But we need to respect the way each other feels and compromise and least listen. A lot of the time, what I say may not be what I mean. What I hear myself say what I think I said, it comes out wrong. I don't mean to sound mean, but it may come out that way. I need to work on patience and listening not just hearing, and valuing his opinion, and respect how he feels. I need to be aware of his feelings, and genuinely care. And when I'm wrong, suck it up, and apologize. Not just say I'm sorry, but apologize with a sincere change of heart. That's all I have for now. Have a great day!
Good morning! My name is Lauren and I'm a grateful, recovering alcoholic/addict. Today I am going to talk about unity. When I was drinking, it was all about me, me, me. I thought of no one but myself. Getting sober was a very humbling experience. I learned I cannot do things all on my own. Associating with other recovering alcoholic/addicts, I see that we can help each other one day at a time to stay sober. If I didn't have fellowship, I would lose myself, and my strength. I know I cannot do it on my own, and need to stay with them. When we work together and express our ideas and experiences of strength and hope, it is so much easier. That also goes for every aspect of my life. Working as a team with my husband, to raise our children. Working together at work, being part of the team. Getting involved in whatever I do, not just sit on the sidelines and watch. Get in and get busy. That's all for today Have a great one!
Good morning! My name is Lauren and I'm a grateful, recovering alcoholic/addict. I have learned to be happy and it does not have a finish line. It is a path. Dr Steve. Maraboli said, "Happiness is a state of mind, a choice, a way of living; it is not something to be achieved, it is something to be experienced." It is not something made, but a result of my actions. I used to think,"Oh, I just want to be happy...or...if such and such would happen I would be happy"...so on and so on. It was something I was chasing, something I was trying to attain. I thought there was something I had to do to get it. I have learned that I have to make that choice to be happy. God has given me so many things to be grateful for, and happy about. I am so blessed. Out of the 100 good things that happen, I used to look at the 5 bad things, and focus on them. I would let that rule my life. I wouldn't remember the 95 other good things, that more than weighed out the bad. So today I choose to be happy. Have a great day!
Good morning! My name is Lauren and I'm a grateful, recovering alcoholic/addict. In sobriety, I have learned to be more honest, with others and myself. By doing this, I may not get a lot of friends, but I will get the good ones. Good friends are hard to find. But if I just be myself, and true to myself, I will find the rights ones, and they will be there forever. Being a good friend, is not just sharing a cup of coffee, or a funny story, but really sharing your heart and soul. Not just being friends on the outside, for others to see, but really be there for each other. To be able to trust each other with everything, telling each other what makes them hurt, or what makes them happy. Don't try to be perfect, be honest. That's all for today. Have a great one!
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July 2019
Lauren YoderI'm Lauren. Get inside the head of a recovering alcoholic/ addict. |