"Change has been difficult in my life, but absolutely essential." BRB p. 410

As children, we clung to our dysfunctional families, praying that they wouldn't abandon us because that, of all possible changes, would be devastating. As adults, we continued to cling to life as we knew it. We resisted change because it brought up so many issues and questions for us.

Eventually, we realized that our families left us long ago, both emotionally and spiritually, even if they didn't do it physically. With this knowledge came a shift in how we wanted to live our lives and we made way for change.

In ACA, we see our separation from family as a new opportunity for growth. We may still attend get-togethers, but when we understand that our changing selves are no longer welcome in the same way, our longing for the old times lessens.

As we learn to take personal inventory on a regular basis, we allot more space for positive changes and more room for our Higher Power. We view our past with a clearer lens, and we recognize the awesome benefits we reap from our new ACA lives. We gratefully acknowledge that our Higher Power is doing for us what we could not have done on our own. We begin to see life as an adventure. We credit change as the motivating device that brings joy, the greatest of human feelings.

On this day I will see that when I no longer resist change, happiness and serenity will follow.