For Today - Love and Acceptance

Love is above all, the gift of oneself.  Jean Amouilh

My time is short this morning so I will take a break from the questions on the OA reading and writing tool, Slipping and Sliding, and reflect on the For Today reading.

I am learning to love wholly and without expectation or reservation.  Just like the way the members in OA have loved me.  The reading today says in order to give the gift of myself, I need to see how I have been avoiding it.  It suggests there are two ways of avoidance

1. to feel like I am worth nothing and that no one would want me;
2. to make it clear you should recognize how wise I am and follow my advice.

Wow.  I have lived in both of those ways of avoidance for decades.  They also read true with the co-dependency reading I have been doing lately.  And I have been actively working on changing both behaviours in my life.

The reading today says both the feeling of worthlessness and the feeling of superiority are protective shells:  neither is the best I can give of myself.

Giving of myself means giving quality time - listening to another without thinking of what I will say next; listening without giving advice; listening with energy and care; listening so intently as to forget myself. 

I am practicing this.  And I am a worthy work in progress. 

Blessed be.