The Serenity Prayer
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
I would like to share what it means to me and how it has affected my life. Then, I would like to hear what it means to you ladies and how/if you use it on a daily basis. For those of you who may not have found your God, maybe you could just repeat it without “God” in front.
I originally wanted to chair today because today is the 22nd anniversary of my father’s death. Through God, The Serenity Prayer gave me courage and wisdom to accept his being gone.
Lately it has meant much more and helped much more. My mother passed away on Dec. 29 after many months of illness. She too was in the program and had 36 years of sobriety at the time of her passing. She would say the prayer often and I was able to see that it gave her much courage. She truly accepted that there was nothing she could change and that she was in God’s hands. She passed with courage and grace.
For the funeral, I arranged to have The Lord’s Prayer and The Serenity Prayer put on her prayer card. Many people there knew why. Some didn’t know why. Anonymity meant a lot to her and we honored that to the end.
My brothers and sister didn’t even know the prayer. But, by the end of her interment, I think they all knew it and found comfort in it.
Just repeating it over and over is calming. It helps me to stay positive and on track. I was familiar with it long before I came into A.A. I knew it because of my mom. I honor her each time I say it and I know it has to be the first thing I say in the morning to myself. If I ever have a desire to drink, I hope it will keep me on the right path of sobriety.