Sacred and Amazing Gift

I have really been getting a lot of guidance and clarity from HP during meditation lately, particularly during OA meditation phone meetings. On a recent group meditation call, these words came to me as a message to my body after I realized what a beautiful and sacred gift my body actually is.

Dear Body,

You are so amazing! You have been trying to take care of me for so many years. And for so many years I have been ignoring you, neglecting you, overfeeding you, starving you, injuring you, pumping you full of stress hormones, and depleting you . . . and I am so sorry!

You poor, precious thing. I have not seen until now how amazing you are, how hard you work for me, how much you sacrifice for me. It’s time for me to start taking responsibility for myself and treat you with love, dignity, and respect.

You have graciously accepted the extra weight I put on you in my attempts to self-soothe or run from emotions. You have, without hesitation, succumbed to a virus to help me avoid a situation that I needed an excuse to get out of because I was too afraid to face it legitimately. You have absorbed many negative feelings and memories that I have been too cowardly to face and process. But it’s time for this to stop. You are a gift from God! I need to stop abusing you and start loving and appreciating you!

Body, today I will take care of you. You don’t have to take care of me. I will listen to you and respect your boundaries. I don’t need to make up reasons or excuses for taking care of you. I will just do it.

God, thank you for this amazing body you’ve blessed me with! Please help me to listen to and love my body today. Amen.

I was encouraged to share this letter with other OA members, and my conviction to work the program and stay connected with HP is reinvigorated every time I revisit these words. Thank you for giving me another opportunity to share and strengthen my program. Many blessings to you and your beautiful body!

— Katherine