Grumpy? Or Grateful?

From today's "Courage to Change" (August 30)

Normally my Sponsor would recommend a gratitude list when I felt low, but one day, when I complained about a family situation, he suggested I list all the things I was unhappy about. Several days later my depression had passed, and when I told my Sponsor about the terrific day I was having, he suggested a gratitude list. He thought it might help me to refer to it the next time I felt blue. That made sense to me, so I complied.

When I went to put this new list in the drawer where I keep my papers, I noticed the earlier list and read it once more. To my surprise, my list of grievances was almost identical to my gratitude list--the same people, same house, same life. NOTHING ABOUT MY CIRCUMSTANCES HAD CHANGED EXCEPT THE WAY I FELT ABOUT THEM. For the first time I truly understood how much my attitude dictates the way I experience the world.

Today's Reminder: Today I recognize how powerful my mind can be. I can't always feel good, and I have no interest in whitewashing my difficulties by pasting a smile on my face. But I can recognize that I am constantly making choices about how I perceive my world. With the help of Al-Anon (recovery) and my friends in the fellowship, I can make those choices more consciously and more actively than ever before.

"Change your thoughts and you change your world." 
(Norman Vincent Peale)

I mean, really. I don't think I need to say anymore, do I? This pretty much speaks for itself. Try, just for today, to have an Attitude of Gratitude. See what comes of it. If your day is sucking already, what do ya have to lose?!? I myself am constantly astonished at how very different I truly am now from who I used to be, inside and out, although not a lot about my circumstances has changed. My heart has, though, and my spirit and my view of the Lord, of myself and of the world around me. A new attitude is like painting a drab white room with a bold and vibrant new color that raises your spirits and makes you sing! You know what I'm talking about... Like going outside on a gorgeous sunny day when there's a breeze and the day is full of hope and promise.

You can have this, too. If you don't like who you are, how you feel, where you're at or what you are doing... CHANGE YOUR MIND. Don't be grumpy. Be GRATEFUL instead!

• What things are you being a right little grump about that you know you need to let go of?
• Who do you need to forgive, whether they deserve it or not? 
• What do you most thank God for? What do you NEED to thank Him for that perhaps you've forgotten?
• What things would be on your gratitude list today? How similar are those items to those on your gripe list?
• What is it that you are holding onto SO TIGHTLY that it's keeping you from having a good attitude and experiencing true freedom? (And I know there's something... we all have one!)
• Last, but certainly not least... Do you KNOW that your success in recovery, in life, in love, in every single thing you do, all comes down to HOW YOU THINK?!? Do you know it and believe it? If not, then get widdit, home slice! You are burnin' daylight.

Lord, thank you for every single thing in my life--the good, the bad, the ugly and everything in between. Help me to be grateful for all of it, because You work in ALL things for the good of those who are called to You in Christ Jesus. Help me turn my GRIPES into GRATITUDE! AMEN!