"The first step in reparenting ourselves involves recognizing the loving voice inside." BRB p. 298

Growing up in a dysfunctional family was chaotic. We walked on egg shells, waited for the other shoe to drop, or held our breath and waited for the war to start. In the morning - after a brutal night - everybody pretended like nothing had happened.

When we first came to ACA, many of us were angry, defensive and at the end of our rope. We were either in the middle of chaos or in deep isolation. We knew full well what it felt like to be on this emotional roller coaster of life: one minute up, the next minute down.

What we learn in this program is that showing up and doing the work is critical. As we learn the value of surrender, acceptance, love and forgiveness, we begin to build a strong foundation for a better way of life. We learn to reparent ourselves, which means we become our own loving parent who provides our Inner Child with what we didn't receive from our families. It's like starting fresh, almost like being reborn.

On this day I am grateful for what ACA has taught me about the value of my choices and how to reparent myself. Each day I start fresh and give my Inner Child only positive messages.