I have been contemplating the beauty of sunsets and sunrises recently. They are not like the light switches in my home that, when flipped, immediately plunge a room into darkness or flood it with light. Rather, sunsets and sunrises are gradual, slowly turning from daylight to darkness and vice versa.
I realized my life has been like a rotation of the earth. I was born a bright, sunny, innocent, little being. As life progressed, I was gradually overwhelmed by darkness, learning and exercising the necessary skills to cope with the disease of alcoholism until my life felt like midnight.
Coming to Al‑Anon has given me tools to gradually bring the sunlight back into my life, should I choose to use them. With my Higher Power’s help, I must exercise the patience to sort through my misperceptions and maladaptive skill sets so that I may stand fully in the sunlight of the Spirit. Recovery has not been like that light switch on my wall but rather like a sunrise—a slow and steady dawning of the light. Because I choose daylight, I will “Keep Coming Back.”
By Martie B.
The Forum. July 2025
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