I’m sitting tonight in an assisted living facility writing a paper on my family’s history to be read to a group that gathers to hear papers by its members. For no reason, this thought raced across my mind: “I’d worked the Program of Alcoholics Anonymous for years and I recalled my ups and downs and that I was finally able to surrender to my depth of being and to work the Steps, all of them, one-by-one.”

This stopped my focus on my paper so I checked my emails and found one from Lucy asking if I could write something for “Red Door … “Yes of course” said I, then the thought, “About what?” … But it really wasn’t too hard to come up with something: acceptance.

If there is anything to learn about living in assisted living, it is that “acceptance” is the key to serenity. If we don’t take that path, we wilt and crumble—physically, mentally.

To understand the Program, we had to accept our addictive living, else we’d die. We had to face that reality and twist it into something positive, for yes, I am a sinner. I’m an addict but I saw that our Higher Power was always with us offering a hand of assistance if we but reached out, if we but surrendered our ego-driven ways and reached for something better—a way of life, of love, fellowship, concern for those still suffering, a way for us to check ourselves so we didn’t become so self-impressed that we’d fall victim once again to our demons.

The Program gives us ways to work through those ups and downs and to correct our behavior. Easy-peasy? …’course not, but we are called to keep at it, to work the Steps each day, to address mistakes and to move on. What a blessing.

Strange, isn’t it—a simple program for complicated people and it all came from a Higher Power through Bill W and Dr. Bob in that Gatehouse at the Seiberling Estate in Akron, just two drunks talking to one another.

My take-away? Get to a meeting, work with someone, and whatever happens, keep coming back for as someone said, “Sinners are Welcome.”

Jim A, St X Noon, Cincinnati, 1-4-24.