Start by doing what is necessary; then do what’s possible and suddenly you’re doing the impossible.”
Saint Francis of Assisi
Sometimes it feels like we are just living an inch at a time.
The distractions, disturbances and heartbreak inherent in the family systems illness of substance abuse disorder can make a vision for hope for our families seem impossible.
During the years when our family struggled with an addiction crisis, I found one way to grow hope in my heart was to practice gratitude for the small gifts found in the immediate present.
As in right under my nose.
A delicious sandwich. A bird’s chirping song. Late afternoon sunlight streaming through a window. An unexpected call from a cherished friend.
Moments like these helped me to see the God-given beauty of life even as my family was being picked apart by the illness of addiction.
We can choose to embrace gratitude for these simple gifts that softly land in front of us.
They are God-given hope growers.
Over time, gratitude for the small stuff yields bigger gifts. The gift of momentum to look upward and outward beyond our current difficulties to the promise of the possibility of something more.
For years, before my son found his way to recovery, I was flattened with hopelessness. I believed that as long he as was falling without a parachute, there was no way for me to have any peace, happiness or hope.
I prayed for solutions and couldn’t find any.
Then one day, like a whisper in my ear from heaven, I started to see the possibility of living with some hope. Although life was unraveling, I began in to appreciate the gift of the small moments of beauty sprinkled throughout each 24 hours.
Taking the step to practice gratitude for the ordinary gifts right under my nose was a necessary one that over time helped me to realize hope was possible.
In the combat against the family systems illness of addiction hope is a powerful force.
Hope opens up our weary hearts to what can seem impossible – a recovery solution for our families.
How do you keep hope in the midst of the family systems illness of addiction?
What are some of the gifts of your ordinary day that keep hope alive for you?
Please share here. We can all be inspired by our collective experience, strength and hope.
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