Today's thought from Hazelden is:

Things happen

A healthy friend dies participating in a sport she loves. A husband works hard on his marriage only to come home one day and find his wife in bed with another man.

A knock at the door, and a starving family opens it to find bags of groceries piled anonymously on the porch. A large order comes in just as a company is getting ready to close its doors, and the owner's dream is given new life.

Sometimes life twists. Sometimes it goes the other way, too. Things happen. Sometimes we label these events good, sometimes bad. We cannot always see the reason or purpose in them, but most of us choose to believe there's a Divine plan.

I don't know why I've received some of the blessings I've been given; I don't know why some of the sorrow has come my way. All I can do is trust that whatever comes my way, there's a lesson at hand.

Are you focusing on the circumstances of your life instead of the lessons? The circumstances are the tools. Be involved in them. Feel the pain of loss and the elation of victory. Let compassion work its way into your soul. Learn caring and kindness for others and yourself, too.

Instead of asking why, learn to ask what the lesson is. The moment you become ready to accept it, the lesson will become clear.

God, help me accept all the twists and turns along my path. Help me learn to say whatever to the good and the unfortunate incidents that come my way.
From: More Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie


ACIM states that everyone we meet is a potential teacher of some sort. The Celestine Prophesies suggests that each event in out life is a stepping stone or prerequesite for a greater event that is coming. Each of these teaches that our life has a purpose, that we were put here for a reason. I believe that.

When I was younger I used to wonder why I was here, what my purpose was. My alcoholic tried to convince me that my purpose was to take care of him. My family tries to convince me that my purpose is to take care of my mother and brother, that I'm not to have a life of my own. While I believe I have certain responsibilities to those I love, I've learned through recovery that taking care of others is not my sole purpose in life. I choose not to accept the guilt that is placed upon me.

While I don't really know what my purpose is, it is less of a concern to me than it once was. Today I live in the moment and try not to worry or obsess over the purpose behind people and events. It's hard. But it is well worth trying.

P.S. Someone suggested Imagine had resurged due to American Idol. I don't watch that show. But I'm glad that they chose one of Lennon's songs to sing.