Finding Courage to Change the Things I Can

And accept the things I cannot.

I stumbled upon the serenity prayer today. Now to say stumbled sounds funny. Like it was just lying about, and I tripped over it.

I was actually reading The Courage to Change. It’s an Al-Anon book for family members of alcoholics.

The poem is written on the second page. And while I’ve read the book cover-to-cover multiple times, I hadn’t noticed the poem before.

When I read it, I gasped. It was like a beam of light appeared in the sky and shined into my eyes. Dramatic and silly, yes. But also true.

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Now this isn’t the first time I’ve read the prayer. My grandmother had it taped to the inside of her cupboard. It was a newspaper clipping. I can still see it in there next to a recipe for some sort of bread.

I don’t know why she had the prayer taped inside of her cupboard. I’m guessing she needed it though.

When I read it today, I had two immediate thoughts. They were intertwined together. Messy like. Almost competing with each other.

I cannot take away Cooper’s autism. No matter what I do, I cannot fix it. I cannot make him talk. I cannot make him grow up and drive a car and graduate and live independently and get a job and get married and have babies.

I can’t.

And.

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