All Shall Be Well

At this time, as one year is about to end and another begins, I remind myself of my two favourite quotes/prayers:

‘All shall be well

And all shall be well

And all manner of things shall be well’        Dame Julian of Norwich

And the Serenity prayer:

‘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.’      Reinhold Niebuhr

I need these wisdoms to keep me afloat, especially in these difficult times, as we prepare to meet the New Year and all that this may bring for us. This time last year, we had no idea what was going to happen with regard to Covid. We wondered if we would be facing another lockdown. Somehow, we just had to be prepared and trust that despite the odds - all shall be well.

What we are facing in 2023 will be different – The uncertainty and horror of the war in Ukraine; economic crisis; spiralling bills; the need for foodbanks to feed people; general unrest- but the above quote and prayer are the antidote to my fears and doubts as to what might happen.

We can do our best to trust in our ability to handle whatever life throws at us. In other words - to trust that all shall be well. Things change and life moves on.

When you find yourself with an attitude of gloom or despair, try chanting Dame Julian’s mantra - ‘All shall be well.’ I find that when I do this, my attitude slowly shifts to one of possibilities.

We want to know and believe deep down that whatever happens, it is going to be OK. May we develop that trust and faith that we will find the strength and courage to move forward step by step into 2023. We put one foot in front of the other, keep looking ahead, remember to breathe and the world changes.

Accepting the dark periods has been my biggest learning curve and greatest gift in recovery. A thunderstorm does not last forever. Neither do my dark periods. Chanting the Serenity prayer – enables me to be exactly where I am and have faith that all shall be well – even though I don’t have the answers.

If we can trust that all shall be well and all manner of things shall be well, we can face our demons and move forward with hope one day at a time, no matter what happens.

Below is a summary of reflections that I shall be taking with me into the new year:

1.  We are all doing the best we can with what we have.

2.  If we walk forward, one step at a time into each day, with serenity, we can find the courage to change the things we can and accept the rest in faith.

3.  As Emily Dickinson said, ‘Hope inspires the good to reveal itself.’

4.  There is peace in surrendering to the ‘what is.’

5.  There is blessing in being compassionate.

6.  As Anne Lamott said - We can all be a mess for a while - hopefully at different times, so we can support each other - and then we get back up and live again.

7.  It is beneficial to celebrate our achievements. I allow myself to honour my hard fought for sobriety. Each day I stay sober is a triumph. The days gradually become years.

8.  Hold onto hope, kindness and not giving up.

9. Remember to ask for help when you need it. This is a strength not a weakness.

10. Forgiving ourselves is lifesaving. We are all imperfect human beings.

Wishing you faith and trust in yourself in 2023, and may you be surrounded by love.

I’ll leave you with the wise words of Mary Oliver:

“Never hurry through the world. Walk slowly and bow often.”

Author of memoir ‘Wearing Red, One Woman’s Journey to Sanity.’

Available at www.amazon.co.uk and www.browndogbooks.uk