December 31, 2025 - Boundaries

 Personal boundaries are the limits you set to protect your well‑being, define how others can treat you, and maintain healthy relationships. They help you say “yes” when you mean it and “no” when you need to. That's the dictionary definition.

December 30, 2025 - Forgiveness

 The dictionary definition of forgiveness: Forgiveness is the conscious choice to release resentment or anger toward someone who has harmed you, without excusing or forgetting the offense. It is about freeing yourself from the burden of negative emotions, not necessarily reconciling with the offender. For many years, I had resentments against my father for the way he treated my mother. My sponsor said if I was waiting for my father to rise from the dead and apologize I would be waiting a long time and maybe I should just forgve him and get on with my life. So, I did that and like the definition says, I did not excuse his offenses and I do not forget them, but I no longer hold a resentment against him for doing what he did.

December 29, 2025 - Acceptance

 Acceptance. There are things I don't want to accept. Getting old is one of those things. But, what's the alternative? 

December 28, 2025 - Help Others

Help Others. When all else fails, drag a drunk - to meetings. To be helpful is our only aim. It works when all other activities fail. These little snippets of wisdom run through my head all the time. When I was drinking, the only person I helped was myself, but as the Big Book promised me, I would lose interest in selfish things and would gain interest in my fellows. 

December 27, 2025 - Love

 Big Book says that love and tolerance of others is our code. I heard our minister say that the grace of God is a love that is always giving. Certainly I am not God, but I have the love of God within me and I can easily share that love with those whom I encounter, and if they are somehow different from me whether by race, creed, color, belief, or action, I am able with God's grace, to tolerate their differences.

edit: the actual quote is that the grace of god is a love that never lets go.

December 26, 2025 - Depression

 Depression. I don't have any that I know of. I had some once and didn't realize it. I didn't want to get out of bed because it was another grey day of no sunshine, just rain and clouds. I realized then that the dullness of the weather had depressed me. So, I forced myself to get up, have a shower, wash the dishes, go for a walk, anything that would involve not staying in bed. And then the sadness left me. I think that's called seasonal affective disorder or SAD for short.

December 25, 2025 - Patience

 When little Johnny told his teacher he was having trouble with math, she gave him more math homework. When I told God I was having trouble with patience, He sent me more people to sponsor. It worked. They are teaching me patience. And tolerance. And love. And forgiveness. And humility.

December 24, 2025 - Live and Let Live

 Merry Christmas Eve. Live and Let Live. Sometimes I need to take the principles of love, tolerance, patience, forgiveness and humility and out them in between me and you, to protect you from me and my ego.

December 23, 2025 - Sponsorship

 Sponsorship is my word today. I am always grateful to the man who sponsored me many years ago and I am even more grateful to the men (and women) that I sponsor today.

December 22, 2025 - Honesty With Others

 Important to be honest with others but that begins when we are honest with ourselves.

December 21, 2025 Forgiveness and Tolerance

 Two words today from my god box and both sort of connected. Tolerance, the ability to allow others to be who they are, and forgiveness, the ability to accept that it is not their fault,

December 19, 2025 - Keep It Simple

 I keep it Simple by reminding myself, even after 28 years that I am still an alcoholic and all the twelve steps still apply to me.

December 18, 2025 - Gratitude

My word today is Gratitude. I am grateful to know you. I sent that message to almost a hundred people today and not because I thought it sounded cool. It does, but it's also true. Gratitude is an action word.

December 17, 2025 - Easy Does It...But Do It

 That slogan is always a good reminder when shovelling snow or when out christmas shopping or when doing anything this holiday season. I should not take on too much but I should not use that as an excuse to loaf or procrastinate.

December 16, 2025 - Insanity

 Insanity is sometimes called Knowing what to do and not doing it or Knowing what not to do and doing it anyway.

December 15, 2025 - Humility

 Humility was described to me as not thinking less of yourself but as thinking of yourself less.

December 14, 2025 - Open minded

 Keeping an open mind is always a good attitude. That's how we learn new ways of doing things and it is important to remain teachable. If you are always looking out the same window, you will always see the same tree.

December 13, 2025 - Keep It Simple

 If I just remember the basics today, that I am powerless over people places and things and that I should not over complicate the things I do today, it might be an easier day.

December 12, 2025 - Forgiveness

 When someone I sponsor relapses. I try to remember how many relapses I had when I was struggling to get sober and by realizing they are human and therefore fallible, I am able to forgive them for their mistake.

December 11, 2025 - Anonymity

 Anonymity. It's okay for me to tell you I am in AA, but it isn't ok for me to tell other people that you are in AA. I just had a conversation with someone concerning advertisements about AA. We are not a secret society but our members wish to be anonymous. How will anyone know we are here if we don't advertise that we are available, that the society of Alcoholics Anonymous is here, not who are individual members are. There are some people who claim that I should not make my membership in AA known on facebook or other parts of the internet. But, it's my anonymity not yours so I will do with it what I choose to do.

December 10, 2025 - Surrender

Surrender doesn't always mean defeat; sometimes it is by the act of surrender that we become victorious.

December 9, 2025 - Denial

 Denial - Don't Even Notice I Am Lying.

December 8, 2025 - How Important Is It

 If we're talking about my sobriety or my serenity, then that takes first place above everything. If we're talking about someone left a spoon on the counter that I just cleaned, well that's really not important at all.

December 7, 2025 - Acceptance

 Acceptance. Kid Rock has a song where he sings "you can try to change me or love me just the way I am." So it's up to you. You can struggle with it or you can accept it.

December 6, 2025 - Service

 Service. Anything that makes carrying the message of hope possible. Serving on a committee. Chairing a meeting. Brewing the coffee. Shaking a newcomer's hand and making them feel welcome. Like an Inukshuk, no one stone is more important than the others, they all go together to form the whole. And, service work doesn't always have to be in whatever fellowship you belong to. It can also be done and should also be done, in your community.

December 5, 2025 But For The Grace of God

 But For The Grace of God. What does it mean. Almost three decades ago, I prayed to a God I had barely any understanding of and asked Him for help with my drink problem. He gave me some help with that and but for the grace of God, the favor of God, I never had to take another drink of alcohol. But, asking for His grace is not something I did once and then never again. I have been asking daily and he has been granting the favor each day, so I am learning the meaning of that and the meaning of one day at a time.

December 4, 2025 Anger

 Anger has been defined to me as the luxury of normal people. In many cases, I ask God to save me from being angry because anger is like a poison with me. In some instances, I do react poorly and out of anger or frustration. It is then that I need to make amends quickly if my outburst has harmed anyone.

December 3, 2025

 Listen to Learn or Learn to Listen. Either way, it speaks to me about meditation. I have heard it said that prayer is talking to God, or your higher power if the word God unsettles you. Meditation is listening for the answer to your question. By listening, we learn.

December 2, 2025 - First Things First

 First Things First reminds me of the reading in our book on step eleven that tells me upon awakening we consider our plans for the day. Before we begin we ask God to direct our thinking, so the first thing we do each day is pray. Someone I know says that the days I pray almost always turn out better than the days I don't. Most good ideas are simple.

December 1, 2025 - Love

 Love is my word today. Love comes in many forms and there are many ways to express love. When I bake cookies and bring them to a meeting, it's a way to show my love and gratitude to the new person. When I knit a scarf or a blanket and give it to someone less fortunate than I, then again it is out of love.