Serenity
As I was reading my daughter’s blog entry where she said that “ The only thing we should strive for, she said, is calm. “, I immediately thought of serenity. The following day, I asked “did you mean serenity?”
And she said “I think so”.
I explained that most human beings search for serenity in their otherwise chaotic life.
But I added Serenity isn’t freedom from the storm , but peace within the storm and I reminded her “Remember the Serenity Prayer poster you bought for dad two years ago from the States?”
The Serenity Prayer Poster Lauren bought at art.com is now placed at our bedroom wall
The Serenity Prayer is a prayer that applies to most of us in recovery whether in grief, loss, broken-heart, alcoholism, addiction or some dysfunction. And what is the most common element?
God or God as we understand God , to be more politically correct.
Without sounding preachy, I told Lauren “it was God that helped us in our grief recovery. Despite our initial anger with God, He helped us through the pain. Perhaps God can guide you too”.
True, it is God that is our source of guidance and positive change. It doesn’t mean we’re not responsible for ourselves. We are but we aren’t alone. Recovery is not a do-it-yourself project. We do our part, relax, and then trust that the changes we’ll experience will be right for us. Recovery does not mean looking at other people as our source to meet our needs. Sure they can help us but they are not the source. We can tap and trust God for the energy, wisdom and guidance for our recovery process.
We live life one day at a time which requires so much faith in us. We don’t look back at the past unless healing from the past is part of today’s work. We look ahead to make future plans. We focus on this day’s activity, living it to the best of our ability.
We surrender to God’s will . We stop trying to control and settle for a life that is manageable. We trust that God ’s will for us is good, generous and with a direction. Through trial and error, we learn to separate our will from God’s will. An important of recovery is owning the power to take care of ourselves. Sometimes, we need to step out, step back or step forward which can be very frightening.
Without God’s help, I would not be where I am today in my grief recovery.
And so every time, some thing bothers me like the angst of my daughter, I always recite the Serenity Prayer
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.
And I call upon God to help me and I will ask for what I need.
Filipina mom) and my journey to a "new normal" after the death of 
serenity…. haaaay. yeah, would that it was readily attainable.
(which is why i had it tattooed on my wrist, to remind me that it takes work to attain it haha)
I often have a problem with worrying. I worry a lot! I worry about my schedule, about my future, about my mom, about things that are beyond my control. And I know God’s always teaching me to be still and know that He is God. It’s a constant struggle, NOT to worry, and NOT to be depressed about things I can’t change. But I think there’s really no easier way to live through this but to believe that Someone greater than myself, and greater than this world, is in control, and that I need not worry because tomorrow is still His. I NEED to be still. To know that He is God. To let Him be God. To let Him take control.
Another inspiring post, Miss Noemi. Such basic truths that we often forget/neglect. Thanks for reminding us.
God bless you. 
@the jester- wow that’s a nice idea. Hard work actually. I still work on my recovery day in and day out.
@Riz- When I hit my bottom, that’s when I just let it go. there was no other choice but to surrender. That’s when I started to recover. I hope you find that “serenity” somehow . Remember it is always a work in progress.
It makes so much sense, such perfectly simple sense, but sometimes, it’s so hard to let go and let god…
Honestly, I used to think that prayer was so trite until it made a personal impact on me last year… when my father undergoed an organ transplant operation.
My friend had purchased a calendar with that prayer months before the operation… and at one point, I remember looking at that calendar and breaking down and crying.
The only thing that really got me through that ordeal (thinking that I was going to lose my father)… was my belief in God, as shaky as it was last year. I have since, renewed my faith.
How fitting for what I am about to write.
I think what people really strive for is not happiness, but peace. If you have peace, you don’t look for happiness anymore because you are content with what you have, where you are and what you are in. 
Like Riz, I keep on worrying too. In fact, yesterday, I heard something that got me worried. And I told my best friend some of my fears, and she said, “I know you know you have to trust God in this, right?” And she’s right. I think, most of the times, God sends storms in our way for us to remember that we don’t have any control over our circumstances, only Him. Sometimes he has to break little parts of our heart for us to grow, and for us to surrender it all up to Him. I admit that a lot of times, I have a hard time doing just that. But in the end, I think it’s the only way to go. Surrendering to God doesn’t mean being imprisoned or allowing yourself to be a captive, but freedom. Freedom from all the stresses in this life, knowing that Someone bigger is taking care of all your concerns, and will not let you down. And that leads to peace.
I hope I made sense with all those ramblings.
One thing I learned from the past 21 years of my life is that God is always in control, and His control is waaay better than mine. 
God bless Noemi. =)
Hi Ms. Noemi,
Every political science class which one prof. of ours taught, began with this prayer. My classmates used to gripe about the prof.’s lackluster performance, but I remember thinking then that if I have to thank her for one thing, this is it-a prayer that made absolute sense, esp. this-
“the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference.”
@junky wife- with practice, you get into the habit of letting go
@fruityoaty- sometimes we find God at the lowest point in our life. then we realize that God never left us
@tina- you said it so well. You made so much sense . Yes Peace. That’s what I pray so much for my daughters.
@lemon- the serenity prayer makes absolute sense. It’s simple and easy to remember. I pray this all the time
That’s so calming! We find quiet when we stop trying to control. When we focus on the activity of the moment — giving it our best shot. Thank you for reminding.
I learnt this prayer from an old poster my then teenage ate bought. Thanks for reminding me of its value.
to be in state of serenity is most of the time a choice. our choice.
this “letting go” thing is hardest for me. why, becoz im a control-freak. which i hate so much…..give me a perfect formula to take is “leeting go” would be a breeze, PLEASE.
Here’s the original “Serenity Prayer” :
Full Original Serenity Prayer
by Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971)
God, give us grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed,
Courage to change the things
which should be changed,
and the Wisdom to distinguish
the one from the other.
Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,
Taking, as Jesus did,
This sinful world as it is,
Not as I would have it,
Trusting that You will make all things right,
If I surrender to Your will,
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy with You forever in the next.
Amen.
You may like to know that the part of this prayer hanging in many people’s houses today, are the same re-written first lines that Alcoholics Anonymous started to use in the early days It’s one of the first things you hear when attending an AA meeting. And I dare say this little prayer must have saved many alcoholics from going back to drinking when the temptation was there!