Serenity

1. GOD “GOD, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change” Members of Twelve Step groups refer to life’s most divine force with the phrase “a power greater than human power” or simply as “my Higher Power”. The words appear in the Big Book of AA. I sometimes wonder why Bill Wilson…

2. GRANT “God, GRANT me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change”           This drawing may confuse you at first. It is not lovely like most “inspiring” artwork. But please bear with me; you may feel as surprised as I was.           I was so certain I…

3. SERENTITY “God, grant me the SERENITY to accept the things I cannot change”   The Serenity Prayer sounds rather sweet…. as if as if it was specifically written for an inspirational poster or a sentimental greeting card. The familiar words can often be nestled near a setting sun, ocean shore, or mountain vista. The…

4. ACCEPT “God grant me the serenity to ACCEPT the things I cannot change.”           My 12 drawings of the Serenity Prayer were not created in any certain order. The 1934 Websters dictionary sat on my desk for months and I was not methodical about choosing which word to look up next.…

5. THING “God grant me the serenity to accept the THINGS I cannot change.”   As I looked up Serenity Prayer words in my old Webster’s dictionary, I was continually surprised. For example, I have used the word “thing” since an early age and never gave it a second thought. I might ask my mother, “Where is…

6. “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I CAN not change”   I did not begin the Serenity Drawings with the goal of creating Twelve Drawings. I didn’t see very many substantial words in the beautiful but brief Serenity Prayer. While words like “God” and “Courage” were captivating, there was nothing remarkable about words…

7. NOT “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I can NOT change”   I have to confess something. I stole this illustration…from myself. Let me explain. Shortly after buying that 1934 Websters Dictionary, I looked up the word “unmanageable”. Its roots led to a horseback riding ring called a “manege”. A horseback rider would…

8. CHANGE “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not CHANGE”   The word “Change” seems simple enough; it describes one thing becoming another. Picture a chrysalis becoming a butterfly. Or, it could refer to exchanging one thing for another, like changing a light bulb. The 1934 Webster’s Dictionary definition confirmed all…

9. “The COURAGE to change the things I can”   In making this drawing, I may have made an error. “Courage” was one of the first words I looked up in the 1934 Webster’s dictionary. I suppose I was curious to learn how any dictionary would define that familiar word, so I went looking for it among…

10. “And the WISDOM to know the difference”   The definition: “Wisdom n. the quality of judging soundly concerning what is true or false”.   This drawing is difficult to describe in terms of the Serenity Prayer alone. In the Twelve Steps of recovery, the insanity which all addicts and alcoholics suffer can be traced to “a lack…