Home Movies

Good Morning! I woke up with dawn this morning, tired but thought I could use this time to sit and read a few minutes before racing off to work. Since this week is official Fall on the calendar, I'm excited that the weather is right in line with beautiful low 70s in the morning. Gorgeous!

The garden is going crazy!! It's been several weeks now and everything has sprouted, except the green onions. I wonder if my seeds were bad. Oh well, I have time to try some different seeds. I did plant my some staggered lettuce and radishes this past weekend, so hopefully this year we will have salads all the time and not ALL at once. Live and Learn. Something really awesome happened when I was planting those seeds this past weekend. A beautiful green humming bird flew right up to me, looked at me, then went straight to the flowers I strategically planted in my garden. I love the humming birds and ours are so friendly! It was a really neat moment.

Another exciting thing that happened last weekend, our little hiking group started hiking the Arizona Trail. My Mom wanted to do something epic in her life, which I thought was pretty cool. The thought of hiking the Arizona Trail, all 800+ miles of it, is a bit overwhelming! However, if you take bit by bit, it's doable. HA! Just like everything else. After starting with a small hike on Saturday, it puts everything in perspective. We did start a blog if you would like to join us in our Journey down the trail.

Finally, I'd like to share the reading I did from Courage to Change from today's reading.

"An Al-anon friend says, 'I have a tendency to think of my experience with alcoholism as an epic, technicolor movie, an extravaganza with my name in lights on the marquee, but it's not really like that. It's really just home movies.' From time to time I have shared my friend's exaggerated vision, though of course when I did, the name in lights was my own.

I came to this program with a story to tell that seemed to splash across every inch of a very wide screen. I told it and told it, until one day I noticed that I was sitting in a room with others, showing home movies.

Today I feel happy to be there as part of the show, but my role has changed. I am no longer the martyr, bravely sacrificing myself to the cold, cruel world of melodrama. Realism has taken over. My role is important, but not unique, and I don't expect to see it in lights.

Today's Reminder: 
Al-Anon has given me an opportunity to share my home movies with others. My situation is neither the best nor the worst. Although I am unique in some ways, I am more like others than I ever suspected. I will appreciate this sense of fellowship today.

'... as we learn to place our problems in its true perspective, we find it loses its power to dominate our thoughts and our lives.' Suggested Al-Anon/Alateen welcome"

I could really relate to this reading today. I do play a different role in my home movie, and I'm forever grateful for that shift in a positive direction. I was the star of martyr-ism! Now I can just be me. That is very refreshing at times. Although, it can be very difficult as well, but I work through those times. I'm grateful I can share my stories, successes and chaos times to help put each one in perspective with you and those in the rooms of Al-Anon. Although things are a bit hectic right now and the tides are changing, I feel an eerie calmness. I say eerie, but it really is a blessing to be able to live life in a much calmer way. Not letting stress and crazy run my life. Realism has taken over. Not always a pretty picture, but truth and honesty is a better way to live for me and those around me.