God, 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

The prayer above is a wonderful one and often used.  The most important word in it, with the exception of “God”, is “accept”.

With the magnificent power you have, you can choose to accept all events in your life as being just what they are, nothing more and nothing less.  If any of these events are causing a problem for you today, this very moment, you can still create peace for yourself by simply accepting that situation as being just what is.  By being totally realistic and being totally in the moment, that situation just is.  By eliminating any grief, or other negative feelings concerning what happened yesterday, and concentrating on this new moment, you will be in control of what goes on in your mind and body now.  This power of acceptance can be a healing experience.  At its worst, the lack of acceptance can cause illness and disease.

There will always be situations you cannot change, but be careful in judging what those might be.  By accepting what is, you will be in a better frame of mine to determine what can be changed.   You will never have the power to change other people.  (They will have to accomplish any changes in them-selves by themselves.) 

Choosing acceptance in your life does not mean submission on your part, or apathy.  Once you have accepted what is and acknowledged the facts of a situation, you can then decide what you will do with it.

Thoreau said, “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.”  It would make sense that in accepting life as being just what it is, we would feel much less desperate.

We ask you to accept that there are people “out there” who care,

Lana Keating