December 31
Another Morning
The end of a year invites us to add things up. We remember what changed, what remained difficult, and what we meant to do but never quite began. There may be gratitude beside regret, and no simple verdict that does justice to both. We do not have to turn a living year into a final statement about the kind of person we have become.
Recovery leaves us with something more useful than a verdict. There are principles to return to and people with whom to practice them. Some unfinished matters need repair; others need patience or acceptance. We will still have to ask for help discerning which is which. What we received is available to be shared without our first completing the work of growing up. The next ordinary encounter will offer its own small particulars: a voice to hear, a responsibility to remember, someone whose life is as real as ours.
What does love require of me now?
Another morning. Another person. Another opportunity.
For the A.A. nerds: Alcoholics Anonymous, “Into Action,” p. 83; Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, Step Twelve.