Maternal Wisdom

Here’s a fun poll for Mother’s Day weekend:  what’s the best advice your Mom ever gave you?  Here are some of the words of wisdom to which I adhere to this very day:

• You must have a good knife in your kitchen
• Baggy clothing does not cover up imperfections, it just makes you look bigger
• Keeping a schedule keeps you sane
• And, last but not least, if anyone spills anything, you must say in your weariest, most put-upon voice, “JESUS, MARY AND JOSEPH, GET THE PAPER TOWELS” (my kids thank Mom Mom for that as well!)

Alright, what’s everyone gotten from their Mom’s?  Words of wisdom, life lessons, or just hilarious stories, I want to hear them!  And for all my beautiful maternal friends, enjoy the weekend, you deserve it!

Today’s Miracle:

Mothers definitely count as a miracle; I don’t know what I’d do without mine!

…And The List Gets Shorter…

Sincere forgiveness isn’t colored with expectations that the other person apologize or change.  Don’t worry whether or not they finally understand you.  Love them and release them.  Life feeds back truth to people in its own way and time. -Sara Paddison

I mentioned in yesterday’s post that August 27th was the 7 month anniversary of recovery, not any more significant a milestone than 211 days (which is today), but for some reason, I received all kinds of rewards.  Here they are, in order from least to most:

1.  Cookie (the hamster) enjoyed the heck out of her clean cage (see yesterday’s post).

2. I received news that things are moving in a positive direction with regard to consequences from my past addictive behavior… I do not want to go into details on this, because I don’t want to jinx it.  But I will say this… if it continues to head in this direction, I will have a whole new source of inspiration for this blog!

3.  I went to a new meeting, a women’s group, met some really interesting women, and one asked me on the spot if I would speak for her the next time she chaired a meeting (which will be this Sunday).  This type of request is common in AA, but not for me personally, and I was honored to be asked.

4.  The last of my personal hold-outs… people who have been dragging their feet in my personal life because they have been so affected by my addiction… asked to have a conversation last night, and we finally cleared the air.

Number four is, of course, the big reveal for me today, since I have been whining about this fractured relationship for months.  I can honestly say I woke up this morning, and I felt lighter, as if something had actually been lifted from me.  I am so grateful.  The difference between last night’s conversation and the one I had with my sister last week, is that I was unsure with this one that things would ever work out.  With my sister I had confidence, with this relationship I did not.  Some really mean thoughts and feeling had been expressed, and I was not sure either one of us could overcome them.  But we made a wonderful start last night, and I have been really anxious to share this news with all of you… two down, one to go!