Congratulations Nici!

Ahem . . . (cough), (cough)

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday Dear Sponsor, Happy Birthday to you!

My sponsor Nici is nine years sober today!!!! Yea!!! Go Nici!

Nine years . . . that’s like 3,285 days without a drink. Wow.

Let me tell you about my sponsor folks: Nici is wonderful. From the day I met her until today she works the Alcoholics Anonymous program every day the best she can. If I ever need help, she is there for me. She has been my sponsor for three years now and I have not had to have a drink yet.

Nici works the program straight out of the Big Book. That means that when it is time for me to work the steps we go straight to the Big Book, read it and then do what it says. We then read the Twelve and Twelve for good measure. I have not had a problem yet that Nici has not been able to help me with. Nici is a straight shooter in that if she does not know, she lets me know rather than making something up . . . and then we check with her sponsor, Jacqueline. I don’t know for sure, but I don’t think anything has ever had to go further up the chain of command.

The way I met Nici was at a community center called Betwixt and Between and she was hosting an AA meeting, the Free to Be meeting there. She was also involved with the belly dance group there as was one of her daughters and one of her other daughters played role playing games of up there. I was amazed because her daughters so obviously loved her and Nici returned that love. Next thing you know, I asked Nici to sponsor me.

The Goddess keeps an eye on Her children and I think She steered me right to Nici.

There are so many things I could say about Nici, about her sobriety, her family, about the really bad sponsor she had (Nici sponsored herself for her first year of sobriety), about her creativity, but I am going to keep it simple.

Nici, I love you. Without your help over the past three years I would be drunk today. No doubt about it. I know, you are going to say that it is your Higher Power working through you—and you will be right. But each of us has free will, and you have chosen to pick up the phone when I call, you have chosen to listen to my fifth step, you have chosen to be there. Nici, you are the best sponsor I could ever hope for.

May your Higher Power bless and keep you! Happy Birthday!

I am going to end here with a little note; my new friend in sobriety from the UK, Spencer wrote a comment to this blog entry to say that he no longer asks his Higher Power to keep him sober that day, rather, he thanks his Higher Power for doing it because he is absolutely confident that his HP can and will do it.

I like that and I think I am going to adopt that practice from him. I have no doubt the Goddess will keep me sober, so why express it as a question—it is a statement.

Goddess Brigit, thank You for keeping me sober all day today! Thank You for the gift of having Nici in my life today. Thank You for my life today. Blessed Be!