Post-Op Day 216: The In-Between

One of my most favorite books in the world is "The Language of Letting Go" by Melodie Beattie. It's a daily motivational book on how to manage co-dependency. Many people are co-dependent and don't even know it.

For me, this book helped transform me. I now work really hard to own my own power and to let go of that which I cannot control. It's a daily process but it's one I believe in.

Today's message is my absolute favorite. It's helped me through so much in my life - from leaving my first husband to waiting to move down here from Indiana to last year when I didn't know if I would have a job after our contract change. In the end, God provided in ways better than I could ever imagine.

Anyway, this entry now applies to my weight-loss journey. It's so hard to be in the in-between. You feel like you'll never lose another pound or this is all there is. However, you just have to trust and believe that you are still moving forward.

I pray that this touches your life in some way, shape or form. Here it is...

Today's Thought

TUESDAY , AUGUST 02, 2005

You are reading from the book The Language of Letting Go

In Between

Sometimes, to get from where we are to where we are going, we have to be willing to be in between.

One of the hardest parts of recovery is the concept of letting go of what is old and familiar, but what we don't want, and being willing to stand with our hands empty while we wait for God to fill them.

This may apply to feelings. We may have been full of hurt and anger. In some ways, these feelings may have become comfortably familiar. When we finally face and relinquish our grief, we may feel empty for a time. We are in between pain and the joy of serenity and acceptance.

Being in between can apply to relationships. To prepare ourselves for the new, we need to first let go of the old. This can be frightening. We may feel empty and lost for a time. We may feel all alone, wondering what is wrong with us for letting go of the proverbial bird in hand, when there is nothing in the bush.

Being in between can apply to many areas of life and recovery. We can be in between jobs, careers, homes, or goals. We can be in between behaviors as we let go of the old and are not certain what we will replace it with. This can apply to behaviors that have protected and served us well all of our life, such as caretaking and controlling.

We may have many feelings going on when we're in between: spurts of grief about what we have let go of or lost, and feelings of anxiety, fear, and apprehension about what's ahead. These are normal feelings for the in between place. Accept them. Feel them. Release them.

Being in between isn't fun, but it's necessary. It will not last forever. It may feel like we're standing still, but we're not. We're standing at the in between place. it's how we get from here to there. It is not the destination.

We are moving forward, even when we're in between.

Today, I will accept where I am as the ideal place for me to be. If I am in between, I will strive for the faith that this place is not without purpose, that it is moving me toward something good.