Slogans bring peace to relationship with boyfriend

When my alcoholic boyfriend did or said something that irritated me, I would usually respond with sarcasm. Now I take a moment and think, “How Important Is It?”

Thinking of that slogan gives me time to think about what I’m going to say or how I’m going to respond. It gives me time to figure out how important something is to my life, in the bigger scheme of things.

Most of the time, I found I had no need to respond. The things that my boyfriend said were often defensive or argumentative. The things he did were often not important in the big scheme of life; they didn’t require a response from me.

“Let Go and Let God” was also a powerful tool. When my boyfriend said something that hurt me, I would let go of the emotion and let God heal my pain. When he did something that I didn’t like, I would let go of the behavior and let God take care of him. In the past, I did not let go, which only served to hurt myself or someone else.

“Let It Begin with Me” has become another one of my favorite slogans, but I had to grow into it. In the beginning I often felt that it would be selfish to “Let it Begin with Me.” But I have learned that I am not being selfish. I am taking care of myself—and there’s the difference.

By Stephanie H., Florida
The Forum, February 2010

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