Recovery Meditations ~ Forgiveness ~ One Day at a Time ~ July 30, 2010

~ FORGIVENESS ~

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Forgiveness for ourselves

is the journey from guilt

over what we have done or not done

to the celebration of what we have become.

Dr. Joan Borysenko

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Steps 8 and 9 are very important to our

recovery from compulsive eating. The 8th

Step says that we need to make a list of

those people we have harmed because of

our disease, and to be willing to make

amends to them.

The 9th Step says that we need to make

direct amends to those people, if

possible.

I would never condemn a sick person for

being sick, yet I was ready to level

blame at myself for being a compulsive

overeater. I was mentally cruel to

myself.
I abused my physical body with food and

excess weight. While working Step 8, I

needed to realize that I didn’t hurt

just my family or friends when I was

deep in my disease. I had to understand

that I hurt myself as well. I said and

did things that I’m not proud of because

I didn’t know that I had a disease of

compulsion. I had to place myself at the

top of my amends list.

Some of the ways I can work Step 9

include remembering that I am a good

person who just happens to be sick with

a potentially fatal disease of

compulsion. If I can remember that I am

sick, then I won’t add more pain to what

the disease already heaps on me. I can

remember that a slip in abstinence is

just that...a slip. It doesn’t reflect

on my worth as a human being. I can be

gentle with myself whenever times are

rough. I can lean more on my Higher

Power, so that I don’t have to depend

upon my own unsteady willpower. I can

forgive myself for the past pain I’ve

caused myself and resolve not to hurt

myself any more.


ONE DAY AT A TIME . . .

I give myself the gift of forgiveness and amends.