Dave, how sweet and typically you. Happy Birthday to us!

Love,

ME

((((((((((((((Dave)))))))))))))

How You Remember it all amazes Me... I'm With Hobbit.... So You... Thanks for Not Only Finding & Beginning this Next Chapter for me, but for Including me in the Journey... It has been one of Many differant Turning Points of my Life, and I'm Glad that I Could Share it with Such Great Company...

The Road to Recovery is that of Our Own, but when I have Such a Support, I truly Feel Blessed to be apart of Something So Wonderful, So Spiritual, and So Kind... I don't know of a Softer Place to Fall...

THANK YOU DAVE & KAREN for Bring Me too Such a Place ... Much Love, Gratitude, & Prayers to Each & All of You ....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~HAPPY BIRTHDAY SANCTUARY~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

( Insert ~~~Giggles~~~& Clappy Hands HERE~~~...lol...

Love All....
Oneness....

One year already?? Can't believe how fast it went......It's always such a comfort coming here.....when I'm happy about something AND when I need some support. I just get such a good feeling when I come and visit.

Thank you Dave for sending me that email a year ago, letting me know where you were headed. I remember how terrible I felt when I learned that you were leaving the old board. I knew it wouldn't be the same without you there and I actually didn't want to participate if you weren't going to be there. Soooo happy when I received your email inviting me to this wonderful place!!!!

-M

So I guess I stumbled through these doors not long after they opened. Just more proof of my HP at work.

I feel as if my recovery has gone to another level in the past year. The things I have learned from you good people, along with my weekly Al-Anon meetings, and even some key insights I gained from the Developmental Psychology class (specifically, what a healthy childhood should have looked like), have all worked together to deepen my understanding. If I may, I'd like to share some of the things I have learned:

For most of my life I have viewed the neglect, abuse and mistreatment I have suffered to be the deliberate acts of others, visited upon me because of my own defectiveness and worthlessness...in short, I suffered because I deserved to, because I wasn't worth anything better. Now I am beginning to understand that I suffered because of dysfunction and the many different forms it takes. My family of origin suffers from an illness, and I was affected in a way that not only made my family life difficult, but also sent me out into the larger world with a "Kick Me" sign metaphorically taped to my back and set me up for exponentially greater abuses.

I am learning that recovery consists of many moving parts. I have to uncover and process old feelings, especially old anger and rage. I no longer fear doing so. I have also learned that I cannot force those old feelings to the surface, but rather I have to be ready for whenever they are triggered, recognize them and deal with them appropriately. And I am learning that one of the best ways of dealing with those feelings is to share them in a safe, supportive and understanding fellowship of others who have traveled a similar path. I'm learning that recovery also means learning new and better ways of dealing with other people - if a certain behavior of mine keeps bringing undesirable results, maybe it's time for me to behave in a different way.

Another thing I am learning is that I cannot rely on someone else to "fix" me. That has been an especially tough lesson to accept, because it has been a core issue my entire life. However, accepting this reality points me back toward my HP, who is the only one who can truly "fix" me, but who loves me anyway although I'm broken.

Finally, I am learning that it is completely okay to enjoy the blessings of recovery, especially the relational "good stuff" that comes from being in community with recovering people. I am learning that some people can actually be trusted not to take advantage of me, that they will accept and even love me just the way I am.

Hopefully, as recovery progresses, I can even learn to love myself, just the way I am.

I thank my HP for this place. Not much left to say, except...

(((((Sanctuary)))))

((((((((((((((A1))))))))))))))

Thank You... Not Only For Your Share, But also Your Friendship, Your Recovery, Your Shared Grief, Your Learning... For All of it has Also Benifited My Life, and I am Sure Many Others, I Love that Tho we are All Struggling some tough Waters at times, We all Can Come to gether and Except that We are Ok, & We Are Worth Of All things you Listed above...

When i Started this Recovery Trip Down the Al-Anon/ACOA Journey, I had Know Idea the Peace it would bring to My Heart, I can't say I have Mastered the 12 Steps, But I Can Say that Now I Use them To Better Me, and No One Else... I Use them to Help me See, the Better Side of Me, The Side of Me that Knows, I AM Worthy, and I Deserve Happiness Just Like the Next Gal.. It Sure hasn't been Easy to Open Old Scars, but it has been Unbelievabliy Healing, to know that they can be Removed... They Can be Handed to My HP with My Gratefulness for the Experience, and the Acceptense of who i was Then... Today I Look for Me Now...

And LIke you stated, Just Knowing HP Loves & Accepts me As I am, To have a Place Like this that Re-enforces such a Feeling of Love & Acceptance, and Def. Wonderful things to Help me On My Journey thru this Crazy thing I Call Life ... What a Blessing, and So Grateful to Be here...

I Guess Me & Sanctuary have Something in Common today... For it is 1 year today Since I had My Last Alcoholic Beverage, and I have to say, It Feels Rather Nice ...

Love , Hugs & Prayers to all


ONENESS..............

***** BRAVO***** ((( Oneness ))) *****BRAVO*****

Well done Oneness on one year sobriety... I am really happy for you... the way you have shared your story and those around you I know it must have been a challenge to get through it... YOU DID IT...

And I believe you did it the right way... how can I say that? The amount of humility you have shown by sharing with us your celebration... instead of being front and center... you shared it in this thread...

I'm really happy for you

((( WELL DONE )))
Dave

Happy 1st year Birthday to Sanctuary and love and blessings to all the beautiful souls who form a part of this place!

(((A1))) Re. I am learning that some people can actually be trusted not to take advantage of me, that they will accept and even love me just the way I am.

Oh Goodness! I have ended up crying at the kindness of some others - it has been such a relief to me to realise that some people can be trusted. Being treated kindly and without an agenda was new territory for me and I was very wary when I first came across it - I thought there MUST be an agenda and even if it hasn't reared it's ugly head yet - it will - further down the line. Then I get upset for having had stinking thinking about such a kind person when the abuse doesn't materialise! I still fall back into those fears many times. But recovery is a process and I trust my HP to guide me....I don't always listen to Him...but I am getting better!

((((ONENESS)))) ! Wow! One year without an alcoholic drink!!! That is BRILLIANT!!!!! BRILLIANT!!!! Well done to you! WELL DONE!!!!!! The trust you show in your HP even when you are going through really tough times is just incredible and wonderful to feel! WELL DONE on your 1st year Birthday! Hurrah!

I send everyone on Sanctuary - those who share, and those who simply gain strength from reading the shares MASSES OF LOVE.

I can't tell you the amount of times I have taken you all with me to occasions when I feel afraid - I have found it a huge comfort.

Blessings to each and everyone of you!
Karen xx

P.S. (((Dave))) Oddly enough it is the quietness that I quite enjoy. It is the lack of pressure here that I find so refreshing. To have moments of quietness I feel is really healthy. To me that indicates we are sharing from the heart.

There is no bullying here to share - some bullying can be so passive agressive that it almost slips under the radar but here there is NONE. We share when we feel we wish to and not when we don't. We all seem to understand that we have our lives 'out there' to be getting on with on a daily basis. It just seems to work nicely and peacefully!

I thank you for all you do in keeping Sanctuary a gentle comforting place to be.

(((Big hug))

Karen xx

A1,

I love what you wrote... very well said... it also made me remember some "turning points" in my own journey...

When you wrote... "Finally, I am learning that it is completely okay to enjoy the blessings of recovery, especially the relational "good stuff" that comes from being in community with recovering people. I am learning that some people can actually be trusted not to take advantage of me, that they will accept and even love me just the way I am." I used to almost sabotage my own recovery just to stay stuck in the past.

I used to believe that I didn't deserve to feel the "good stuff" and those people weren't my friends... it took me quite awhile to understand that I did deserve that good stuff and people weren't being nice to me, just to be nice, instead they honestly cared about me and that was a wonderful feeling.

I didn't need to be tough with ten foot walls that surrounded me, I could be vulnerable and no one would use it against me. It was a wonderful feeling to enjoy today and no longer worry about sabotaging my recovery...

AND I also enjoyed your first sentence... I so believe that. Our HP's do amazing work when we let them. They bring things to us at exactly the perfect time and I thank my HP for bringing you to me... I enjoy your shares and your wisdom... and I'm grateful my HP brought me to you...

Dave

Hello Everybody...
Happy anniversary to you all...
Im so glad that I got invitation here and so happy that I can meet you all here.
Thank you very much...

Anna