LFC= Love, Forgive , and Create. A reflection on the gift of living at my fullest capacity.

  Recently, I began calling my Sponsor “Mama Bear” after watching her handle a situation in an Alanon 12 step meeting with loving detachment.  The nickname stuck, as through our time together, she was presented with many new challenges, and having big adventures facing them head on. My sponsor was climbing the “Big Boulders”, of life and it was inspiring to witness this as I worked through both the 12 Steps &12 Traditions with her.  As I began to try new things in my recovery, I realized that I could not (yet) scale the “Big Boulders” that my  “Mama Bear” sponsor was climbing. For a few days I fell into “compare & despair”, then suddenly the realization came upon me. I am a “baby bear ” in my program/recovery and “Progress not Perfection ”, showed me that I can simply do my best with what I have, “Just for Today .  “First things First ” taught me that I cannot do the big things until I do the small ones, and “How important is it”?   Shows me ho...

One of the first pieces of literature I took from a meeting was the blue & white Alanon book-mark, “Just for Today”. Packed with good suggestions, in an easy to read format, this bookmark has helped me through many tough days, and the St Francis prayer at the bottom became one of my favorites.  Despite this tiny powerful bookmark, there were times in my life that felt so dark, I had a hard time picking it up. “ Not for Today” , I would think to myself, at times I momentarily forgot my program and all the tools that recovery offers.  As I continue to grow in my Alanon program, I have slips and days of falling off my “wagon of recovery”. Sometimes, when negative feelings surface so strongly, I resort to isolation and despair. These are coping mechanisms I learned long before coming into program. I momentarily forget about the Spiritual power of the Fellowship. The Do’s & Don’ts tell us “Not to wallow in Self-Pity”, yet sometimes I find that If I engage in a “Pity ...