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CLEANING UP OUR PAST

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CLEANING UP OUR PAST

AMENDS

I am amazed today when I appreciate how much garbage from my past I carried around for such a long time. Much of it was buried deep in my subconscious. Although I knew I was troubled about things, and occasionally would twinge when I ran into someone or a thought would creep in to my conscious, I was not aware about how the past affected the quality of my day to day life.

Through the process of the 12 steps, I had to take a look back into my life, and the method I chose and now use as a coaching tool, took me into distant and small corners of my past. I learned just how much garbage I still harboured about people from my past; distant up to fairly recent.

To clear my own head, in one way or another I found a way to clean up these issues through amends. When properly done, the amends heightened the amount of serenity I had in a larger way than I could have ever thought possible. The following was a good reminder:

“I don't believe I need apologize for being human; rather, I simply need to acknowledge that I was at fault and humbly ask to be pardoned.

I do not need to make amends on my hands and knees; I need to walk tall, without false pride.

They, too, may have been at fault, but I am neither their God nor their conscience.

I am responsible only for myself.  

- Anonymous

 

Thought to Ponder . . .

 

It is the highest form of self-respect to admit mistakes and to make amends for them.

Once I got the past cleaned up, I have worked very hard to clean up my garbage as I go along. How liberating to take responsibility for the mistakes I make, and square up right away. This idea comes directly from the 12 steps, and is a part of the Co-Creative Process of Life Recovery I live and coach.

Need some help with this? Feel free to contact me at khbray@hopeserenity.ca.

 

 

 


Posted Thu, Apr 2 2009 10:07 AM by keithbray