This gentle and profound collection of 365 meditations reminds us that letting go is a daily practice that sets everything free.
This cherished work by Melody Beattie was written for those on a journey of recovery and healing, a companion to her classic, Codependent No More. “It was the daily journey that I wanted to write about,” Beattie notes in the preface to this new edition. “Of the many healing behaviors I’ve learned to practice, letting go—in all its shapes and forms—is the most influential, profound, and life altering.”
Drawing on her own life experiences and struggles with codependency, Beattie offers a thought to guide us through each day of the year and to encourage us to take small, meaningful steps toward renewal, courage, and resilience. Every day affords an opportunity for growth, she reminds us, and with this wise and compassionate book, she lights the way.
Melody Beattie was an American self-help author best known for her groundbreaking work on codependency. Born in 1948 in Minnesota, she endured a traumatic childhood marked by abuse and early substance addiction. After achieving sobriety, she became a licensed addiction counselor and began writing to help others navigate emotional recovery. Her 1986 book Codependent No More became a bestseller, selling eight million copies and helping to bring the concept of codependency into mainstream awareness. Over her career, she authored 18 books, including Beyond Codependency, The Language of Letting Go, and Make Miracles in Forty Days. Though her work is often associated with Co-Dependents Anonymous, her books were independent of the program. Beattie’s personal life reflected many of the struggles she addressed in her work, including four marriages and the loss of a son. Her writing often drew from her own experiences with grief, addiction, and healing. In early 2025, she was forced to evacuate her Malibu home due to wildfires and died shortly after at her daughter’s home in Los Angeles from heart failure.
It’s alright, I guess. I could do without all the religious talk. It has a lot of stuff about god and a higher power and prayer and all that. If you’re religious, you’ll probably enjoy this book more than me. It did have some good advice and it would’ve been perfect if not for the inclusion of religion and religious beliefs. If they had left it to be completely secular in its wording, this book would get a 4.5 star rating but I’m bumping it down to 3 stars because nowhere on the description did it warn anyone that it would also be for religious folks. It needs a warning on it that it’s for religious folks. That’s why I’m giving it 3 stars. It’s good advice, but it would’ve been much better if it was secular so it could include everyone, not just Christians. Anyway, good book, good advice, bad religious insertion.