Episode 212 -- April 25, 2022

Meditation Monday: Remember and Release

Welcome to Meditation Monday. We're pausing each Monday for a few minutes of reflection and inspiration from the authors of the Hazelden Meditation series of books.

Meditations are daily reflections, prayers, slogans and phrases intended to offer inspiration and comfort, and—above all—hope to those of us in recovery.

The selections for this last Meditation Monday of April come from two of Hazelden's best-loved recovery resources: Walk in Dry Places and A Life of My Own. Together, today's meditations invite us to remember the past without sinking into regret, and practice releasing our impulses to control the present and future.

Walk in Dry Places

Remember the past
But don't live in it.

In some ways, the Twelve Step recovery process invites trouble in dealing with the past. We're supposed to forget the past and live for today. But the opening thoughts delivered at meetings often review the past in painful detail, thus reinforcing the tendency to relive it. How should we approach this problem?

Our need is to remember the past while releasing any bitterness, regrets, or hurts connected with it. We must never live in the past, which we are doing when we feel either resentment or remorse about actions of ourselves or others. It is, however, helpful to remember what happened in the past so that we will no longer repeat the same mistakes.

We should also remember the past as a means of keeping ourselves both humble and honest. It should help us feel gratitude that we no longer have to live as we once did.

I'll be pleased today that I can remember the past without living in it. I am free from the old hurts and problems that would keep me from directing all of my energies and attention to what I am doing here and now.

A Life of My Own

Letting go over and over: That's progress.

The first time we heard someone at a meeting say "Let go," we were confused. We had no idea what it meant or how to do it; even now, we forget on occasion. The people in our lives are special to us. And certainly for most of them, we want the very best. We've spent years trying to coach them. We've worried over their plights and relished their successes. We wonder how that can be wrong.

What we learn here is that prayers for loved ones are never wrong; however, trying to control, through any means, the thinking or the actions of anyone but ourselves is wrong. Letting go means letting others, those we love and those we barely know, do what they must.

Every day we'll have hundreds of opportunities to practice letting go. We'll get calls we don't want to handle, we'll meet people we don't want to know, we'll face situations we fear to address. Letting go of the people and the outcomes will become easier in time. The greater our progress, the deeper our happiness.

Most things that happen today will be out of my control. If I let go of them right away, I'll experience many peaceful hours.

About the Author:
Walk in Dry Places was written by Mel B.
A Life of My Own was written by Karen Casey, PhD

A Life of My Own © 1996 by Hazelden Foundation

A Life of My Own: Meditations on Hope and Acceptance © 1993 by Hazelden Foundation
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