Give me the Courage

"God, grant me the serenity to accept the people I cannot change, the courage  to change the one I can, and the wisdom to know it's me." Author unknown.
 

I once knew a blended family that spent several hours in counseling.  But they made no progress because one of the parents wanted the therapist to teach the rest of the family how to get along with her. She wasn’t the problem – it was everyone else.
 
Changing others and teaching them how to get along with us is difficult
 
But the one person I can change - if I’m lucky and work hard - is me. And I can do this by looking at myself - not others.

Once, when I was having a hard time forgiving someone for a perceived wrong, my sponsor told me to look at my role in the situation. I started to tell him about the wrong the other person had done, but I didn’t. Instead, I reflected on his advice.

I'm part of the equation of whatever relationships I’m in. And my part is all I can deal with. Who brought me into the situation? What role did I play?

If I focus on what I need to change the world works better.