A Very Special Gift for a Very Special Lady on a Very Special Occasion...

January 5, 2013, passed without much fanfare but it was an occasion for much celebration.  On that day, Mary Ann celebrated 25 years of drug-free and alcohol-free living.  To those of us who have experienced addiction first hand, this is indeed a time for prayerful thanksgiving.  There's a popular saying that one hears in the meeting places of Alcoholics Anonymous: "If you don't believe in miracles, stick around and you'll be one."  I live with this miracle.

To honor Mary Ann's special day, I had ordered a particular sterling silver medallion on which is inscribed the AA principles of Unity, Recovery, and Service.  It also has the Roman numerals XXV, signifying her years of sobriety.  On the obverse of the medallion is the beginning of serenity prayer, often associated with recovery, "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference."  The prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr continues, "Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him Forever in the next.  Amen."

I also purchased a bracelet on which she could mount the medallion if she wished.  As it turned out, Mary Ann had another bracelet that she thought would look best.  We got a few extra links put in and had the medallion mounted.  It looks great:

Mary Ann's  bracelet with the new medallion
(Click on image to enlarge)