Today's Thought - June

[bluidkiti]

June 22

Happiness is a decision.

We came into this program desperate for help and perhaps solace too. We knew our lives were more painful than most. Seeing all the smiles and hearing the laughter of the women and men at the meetings convinced us we were right! Fortunately, we have stuck around long enough to understand where their smiles and laughter are coming from.

We can experience joy regardless of whether the alcoholic is drinking or not. The example of other people has taught us this. And now we are the teachers for the newcomers.

The Twelve Steps are suggestions for living one day at a time. When we let the Steps guide our thinking and our actions, we discover that life doesn't have to be painful. Thinking and acting are fully in our control. Staying close to the program, even if the drinker continues to drink, can bring us happiness.

I will set a good example for someone else today. I will be living proof of the maxim "Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be."

Today's reading is from the book A Life of My Own: Meditations on Hope and Acceptance*