Remember This . . .

. . . If nothing else

Photo by Yoann Boyer on Unsplash

You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. — Marianne Williamson

For years I have shrunk myself — my creativity, my intelligence, my eclectic tastes and interests — to make my extended family like me, feel comfortable around me. Between this incredible shrinking feat, my chronic illness, my old physical handicap limitations, and dealing my new physical handicap, I. have. lost. so. much. of. myself.

I had worked very had in Al-Anon a long time ago to recover my self from the ravages of growing up with alcoholism — I even fell in love with myself and dubbed myself the “Queen of Self-Care” — just to start losing myself again in the darkness of decreasing health years later. I could feel it closing in and erasing me while I was in the nursing home. I missed myself. Al-Anon taught me that I can’t control people, places, or things, so I decided to give up shrinking to please my family and…