My depression and anxiety are holding steady as my mind adjusts to the reduction in medication. How do I know this? I have a daily journal where I write down my mood level. I use a simple scale from 1 to 10, 1 equaling darkness and 10 equaling joy, peace, and contentment. During the past week, I have been at a 7 on 7 days and 6 on 1 day. During my Recovery, I have found this discipline helpful when I report my mood to the therapist and psychiatrist.
Today is Valentine’s Day, a third-century priest, defied Roman law by performing secret marriages, leading to his martyrdom. Over time, his story became linked to love and affection, shaping the modern Valentine’s Day celebration. As per belief, Saint Valentine was a priest who helped couples to marry secretly. Roman Emperor Claudius II, who ruled at that time, did not allow men to marry saying that single men were better soldiers. Saint Valentine was beheaded on the orders of the ruler.
My wife and I refer to this day as Hallmark Day. There are moments in our relationships, marriage and otherwise, when we worry about the minutia that lies within the guidance Recovery gives us and we don’t look at the bigger picture. It is more than giving our spouse cards and flowers. We don’t always understand there is a multi-layered responsibility, multi-layered gift, and multi-layered spiritual moment we are being called to do and not worry if we are following the 12-steps exactly as prescribed.
Recovery is about understanding the depth of the love the practice of the steps gives us. This parallels our relationship with a partner or friend. God (Higher Power) is calling us to a better place, a stronger place, a more sacred place in that it’s not whether we give someone a card it is how deeply we internally respect them and love them. It’s about cleansing our hearts so our hearts are clean. It is about having this cleansed heart through participation in the 12-steps of Recovery and going out into the world when a support group, therapy session, or other Recovery practices are ended to help clean, love, and heal the world.
That is what Recovery is all about. To gather, worship, and be nurturing toward others and find the spiritual nutrition that we get from the practice of healing. To be in the community and part of God’s holy family. Saint Valentine reminds us of love, sacrifice, and connection to each other. Together let’s sprinkle these attributes on our hearts and souls.
SuperHuman Being
Peace
Larry
email: ljw@superhumanbeing.net
website: https://superhumanbeing.net/