Bookmarks – May – Life is Good

Life is Good

It is May 3—the second day of wet snow mixed with rain.

Two weeks ago, in 80-plus degrees, my husband and I drove to Pittsburgh with a freshly broken air conditioner. That sweaty ride seems like a dream now.

Today I wonder if the half-opened lilacs outside my kitchen window will survive this rude weather. I know I have no control over these wildly oscillating temperatures. All I can do is try to control myself.

As if to bolster this self-knowledge, the May issue of The Forum arrived yesterday, when the “onion snow” was stuck to everything.

 “Just what I need,” I thought.

I opened the plain white envelope to see a picture of a pony-tailed woman kayaking away from the camera. The cover states “Life is Good.”

I decided to read the cover story first. In it, Karen W. writes that she had come into Al-Anon to stop her alcoholic husband from drinking, but learned that the program was about her, not him. She  came to understand that fear was behind many of her old behaviors.

It was the second anniversary of her husband’s death and she was feeling melancholy. But in the  time since her first Al-Anon meeting, she had learned to fully feel her feelings, from loss and sadness to  happiness and joy. She wrote about how trusting her Higher Power, living one day at a time and developing an attitude of gratitude have all shown her that life is indeed good.

I found her story of experience, strength and hope just the sort of “spring tonic” I needed to  widen my perspective and reflect on the gifts I have received through Al-Anon and my Higher Power.

And that’s just one of the stories in this month’s issue. Among others, there’s “Some Thoughts on ‘Helping’,” “The Power of Doing Nothing,” and “HOW I Work the Program.” May is the fifth calendar month so there are stories about Step Five, Tradition Five and Concept Five.

If you subscribe to The Forum, then you may find that particular articles stick with you. You may even be inspired to write a story yourself. The editors are constantly asking for sharings about one of the Twelve Steps, Twelve Traditions or Twelve Concepts of Service. What an honor and a service it would be to have your sharing chosen for publication!

If you don’t subscribe, consider how getting that white envelope in the mail can brighten your day all month, even when it’s May and still snowing outside.

Print subscription order forms are available by going to alanon.org. Type The Forum in the box to the left of the magnifiying-glass image. Then click on ForumOrder for an order form to print out. It’s only $11. According to the World Service Organization, you can get the digital version through Barnes & Noble.

Thanks for letting me share!