Kindred

Today I am grateful for my fingers and toes and gloves and socks to keep them warm. I am also grateful for the fellow recovering alcoholics who encourage and enlighten me on this journey.

So when I was pondering "k" words for this A-Z list, I landed on kindred. The people I share recovery with, and them with me, truly are kin to me. We are allied and connected in ways that I am not with my own family and blood relatives.

We come together through our common disease, each battered and beaten by addiction in ways that may differ in detail and depth, but are very similar in patterns and perceptions. We grow together by being honest with ourselves and each other, by changing our actions to help change our thinking.

We laugh together, cry together, watch light bulbs go on for one another. We learn to give and give back. My recovery family includes cherished friends and fellow travelers.

My own family supports me in my recovery as well, and for that I am most grateful. That is especially true of the one who most sees me at my best and my worst--my husband Darcy.

Active alcoholism was a very lonely place. Isolation could have been fatal then and can be fatal now. I am not lonely in my recovery. It makes all the difference. Efforts to stay connected are as vital as air to breathe. Onward!