CHARACTER AND KINDNESS

Kindness has been a big part of my day today. After reading today's thought for the day from Hazelden (see end of this posting) I understand that kindness and character are intertwined.

Today the I have participated in the following acts of kindness and character:

I woke up this morning and the first thing I said to my husband was I love you. My husband is doing well in his sobriety but he not yet 90 days and he is in early recovery. It does take time and I am incredibly frustrated. Telling him all the things he does wrong does not help his recovery. I am grateful everyday he does not drink and our lives are better as a result. Starting his day knowing that I love him made a big difference to him as he is someone who is using all his energy to stay sober (a ridiculous notion for those of us who are not alcoholics).

I have learned a lot of humility as a result of this illness and suffered tremendous loss. Financially our life is a wreck and we can not pay our heating bill. We qualified for energy assistance but we have a contract with a provider that does participate. Kindness is the town we live in and humility is the ability to ask for help when you need it. The town offers a warm up program and by the grace of G-d authorized a delivery of fuel to our home today. I can not even begin to explain all the other acts of kindness our town has extended to us suffice to say that we live in a wonderful place and I pray we can stay here.

Kindness is what I wrote about yesterday for an article about Alzheimer's disease, which my mother is in the latest stages of. I wrote about patience, love, and understanding, and treating each person afflicted with this disease as an individual. I wrote about all the wonderful things I have done with and for my mom throughout the progression of her disease and about the dignity this has given her as all their memories and life fade away.

Character is having the humility to do whatever it takes to get a job and reaching out. Today I have done this in many ways I never dreamed I would ever have to. But I did and pray it makes a difference.

Character and Kindness are intertwined and those of us who work on our character daily are blessed with the ability to extend kindness to ourselves and others, recognize, be grateful, and acknowledge kindness in others and over all become better people.

I have done a lot of work on my character over the past 8 years living with active alcoholism and now in recovery. I am becoming everyday a better person one day at a time.

I will share with you today's thought from Hazelden www.hazelden.org :

Fame is what you have taken. Character is what you give. When to this truth you waken, then you begin to live.--Bayard Taylor

Long-timers continually tell newcomers to strive to build a strong character for use in facing the world's realities. Sometimes they leave the impression that character is what others think about us. But the opinion others have about us is not important. Character is what we are, not what others think we are.We are not born with character. It is developed through patience and much humility. It is what we are in the dark. Our character is revealed by an outer show of an inner glow. It is our reserve force for living. It is more useful than talent and shows itself best during our contact with others.Today, I'll remember my character can be a force that respects truth, develops will and spirit, accents positive action, and makes all of these assets evident to other people.