Recovery

As I write this week’s blog, I can not believe next week is Christmas. Are you ready? I have 95% of my gifts purchased with about 1/3 wrapped. This year has gone by so quickly. It just seems like just yesterday I was speaking about the things 2024 might bring. In a blink of the eye we will soon be in 2025. It is crazy to me how fast time goes these days. I want to check in with you. Are you feeling festive or just feeling?

I was in an open forum last night with others who seek to find their soul purpose. The group is amazing. It is a safe space where we can literally discuss anything. Our topic last night was about our experiences with letting go and setting boundaries. We spoke about how difficult it is to relinquish the need to control all situations and then realizing how freeing it can be. The struggle is real. There were a few who spoke and most just listened. But I noticed heads nodding and heartfelt comments in the chat. In this safe space there is no judgement or push to speak. We are a group with a common goal. To achieve healing and to help others heal.

While the first 3 to 4 people spoke, I noticed a common theme. I’m not sure if I noticed it or if it was brought to my attention by the facilitator. The common them was they were all in recovery. The holidays can place unwanted pressures for those in recovery. There are triggers in social gatherings, or people, places and things.

The facilitator chimed in acknowledging a thought process that we are all in some type of recovery in our life. That statement awakened me to a huge aha moment. As humans experiencing life we are all in some sort of recovery. Be it addictions, grief, physical healing or emotional recovery. We are in a constant state of healing, letting go and learning to recover from something.

One of the participants put up a quote in the chat. “How well did you live? How well did you let go?” - Dali Lama

When I reflect on this year in my life, I also reflect on what I released. Why is it difficult to let go of the things that in our minds, we know, are not good for us? Why must we feel the need to hold on? To fix them? To control them? Do we want to stay in a state of flux and confusion because this is what we have grown accustomed to doing? Is change so scary due to the difficulty of walking into it in order to walk through it? I wish I had the answers to all of these questions or a guaranteed process to be able to say to you, “follow these steps and life will be beautiful and stress free.” But unfortunately, I do not have these answers.

One person said she read a quote, that I am paraphrasing. “What if we were able to move forward as though it was part of the process?” My thoughts, in the spiritual reality of all things, there is a reason for everything. We have to accept that we may not understand why at this time. This is something I say as I struggle with the reality. If I was given an answer, then I could have a better understanding. The process of moving through it would be better understood, even if I disagreed with it. I accept that the answers aren’t always freely available. So I aspire to handle these situation with compassion and forgiveness. Recognizing the truth I am given at the time of the situation. Even if I don’t completely understand the why. This is part of recovery.

There are 12 spiritual principals of recovery. They are acceptance, hope, faith, courage, honesty, patience, humility, willingness, brotherly love, integrity, self discipline and service. Things to put into place daily.

The 12 steps to spiritual awakening are seeking, questioning, self discovery, healing, integration, service to others, expanded consciousness, intuition and guidance, manifestation, mastery of conscious unity, and service.

Compare them. All similar steps that if worked help change thoughts, behaviors and relationships. Admitting there is a problem you are struggling to resolve, seeking help and making amends to live a responsible life. This is the result of the 12 steps of addiction and they are:

Admit we are powerless over (whatever the addiction) that our lives have become unmanageable. (giving up the thought that you are in control when you are not)

Come to believe in a Power greater than ourselves in order to help restore our sanity.

Make a decision to turn our will over to God as we understand the higher power.

Searching fearlessly to do a moral inventory of ourselves.

Admit to your higher Power, ourselves and others of the nature of our wrong doings.

Be entirely ready to have God remove the defects of our character.

Humbly ask our higher Power to remove our shortcomings.

Make a list and be willing to make amends.

Make direct amends to those we’ve harmed except when it would further injure.

Continue to take personal inventory and when we are wrong, promptly admit it.

Seek through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, praying only for knowledge of Creator’s will for us and the power to carry it out.

Have spiritual awakenings as a result of these 12 steps.

Look at the similarities of the 12 principles, the 12 steps to spiritual awaking and the 12 steps of AA. All with one thing in mind, living a spiritually fulfilled life, awakening, reflecting, prayer and meditation, change, growth and service. No matter the situation, we are all in some form of recovery. The holidays can be joyful or stressful. What step are you on during your recovery? Some will need repeated. Things will be released, healing will happen, boundaries will be put into place. “How well did you live? How well did you let go?” Wise words to think about on your daily journey.

We are all a work in process. I say this over and over again to myself. “I’m a work in progress.” We fall down and make mistakes. But resolve to get back up and make the adjustments needed.

Be aware that some situations are out of your control. How you handle it, is in your control. Learn through prayer and meditation, awakening to consciousness and have faith to trust the answers.

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change. (the peace of mind) The courage to change the things I can. And the wisdom to know the difference.” What a great prayer and daily mantra. Allow it to resonate in your soul as you grow and learn in your life recovery.

This will enable you to live the life you love and love the life you live (in recovery)

Blessings

Stacey

To watch the full episode go to https://fb.watch/wxuCpRZ_zB/