Quotes from Melody Beattie

We go back . . . and back . . . and back . . . until we discover the exuberant, unencumbered, delightful and lovable child that was, and still is, in us. And once we find it, we love and cherish it, and never, never let it go.

On our worst days, we still look for something we've done toward recovery. Sometimes the best we can do is feel good about what we did not do.

Here's another quirk some of us have. We're able to demonstrate a lot of compassion for other people. We can understand why they did the things they did. But when we look in that mirror, we can't seem to muster up any compassion, forgiveness, or understanding for ourselves.

Free others to be who they are. In so doing, you will set yourself free.

Our feelings don't need to control us. Just because we're angry, we don't have to scream and hit. Just because we're sad or depressed, we don't have to lie in bed all day. Just because we're scared, doesn't mean we don't apply for that job. I

Cherish the hope that lies beneath the snow.

The spiritual space we're trying to find and maintain in meditation practice is the sacred place in each of us.

Detachment involves "present moment living"—living in the here and now. We allow life to happen instead of forcing and trying to control it.

When you're doing what's right for you, it's okay to say it once, simply, and then refuse to discuss anything further.

Feelings are emotional energy; they are not personality traits.

We relinquish regrets over the past and fears about the future. We make the most of each day.

Struggling is okay. Back-stepping is okay. Small bits of progress are not only okay, they're admirable.

We're learning, through trial and error, to separate our will from God's will. We're learning that God's will is not offensive. We've learned that sometimes there's a difference between what others want us to do and God's will. We're also learning that God did not intend for us to be codependent, to be martyrs, to control or caretake. We're learning to trust ourselves. . . . and the power to carry that through.

Where we are today is where we're meant to be. It's where we need to be to get where we're going tomorrow. And that place we're going tomorrow will be better than any we've been before

You need to detach most when it seems the least likely or possible thing to do. I

Do you know you have a right to become as healthy as you want, no matter what your family does or doesn't do? Do you know you can love

We don't have to be so afraid of people. They are just people like us.

Worrying, obsessing, and controlling are illusions. They are tricks we play on ourselves. We feel like we are doing something to solve our problems, but we're not.

It is time to stop this nonsense of running around picking on ourselves.

How does one become a butterfly?" she asked pensively. "You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar." —TRINA PAULUS, HOPE FOR THE FLOWERS

Deprived thinking turns good things into less or nothing. Grateful thinking turns things into more.

I will take a long look at where I am today and be grateful for my place. It's right for me now, and is preparing me for the adventure ahead. —FROM EACH DAY A NEW BEGINNING

When will I learn to quit fighting lions?

In the morning and throughout our day, we lovingly and gently ask ourselves what we can do for ourselves that would feel good. We ask ourselves what we need to do to take care of ourselves. When we hurt, we ask what would help us feel better.15 We give ourselves encouragement and support. We tell ourselves we can do it, we can do it good enough, and things will work out. When we make a mistake, we tell ourselves that's okay.