Be granted the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and to have the wisdom to know the difference...

We all knew he was drinking, just not how much. Nobody wanted to say anything because nobody wanted to be the bad guy and say “you can’t handle this, you need help”. I didn’t know him as well as some, but even my husband and I said “if this happens again, we need to do something”.

That was two weeks ago, tomorrow we’re going to a funeral.

I need to learn courage.

I’m working on the courage part of this. Sometimes it’s easier to tolerate a bad situation than to actually do something about it…finding the courage to change what needs to be changed is hard.

This one is easy in stressful situations now (traffic, long lines, etc.), but a lot harder in regard to people I care about. I have to remember, they are who they are, and our relationship is what it is, I can’t make it something it’s not or them something they don’t want to be…no matter how badly I want it.

I cannot change what people think. I cannot change the way they feel. I cannot change how people react to different situations.

I can change the way I think. I can change the way I feel. I can change how I react to my situation or how I react to what other people do, say, or otherwise pass on to me.

REMEMBER THIS LISA, YOU ARE IN CONTROL OF YOU. YOU MAKE EVERYDAY WHAT IT IS. YOU CANNOT CHOOSE WHAT HAPPENS TO YOU, ONLY HOW YOU HANDLE IT. IS BEING SAD, UPSET, ANGRY, RESENTFUL, AND ALL THESE OTHER NEGATIVE EMOTIONS GOING TO HELP WHEN YOU FEEL THEM BUT HOLD THEM ALL IN? OR ARE YOU GOING TO GET OVER THEM, TURN THEM AROUND, AND MAKE A POSITIVE CHANGE WITH POSITIVE EMOTIONS? OWN YOUR ACTIONS AND OWN YOUR EMOTIONS. DON’T LET ANYONE MAKE YOU FEEL A WAY YOU DON’T WANT TO.

We’ve had an some issues with my stepdaughter and I’m working hard to keep this is mind. Her Mom is making it very clear that she doesn’t want me involved in her life anymore (her Mom has been out of the picture, by choice, from the time she was seven years old until recently) but since she still lives with DH and I, it’s difficult to just step out all of a sudden.

overused sometimes, I know. But it sums up so many of my other goals and adopts a more proactive approach to my life in general.