Welcome to this week’s Grateful Heart Monday, where gratitude always gets expressed in my writing, which for today is for reaching another annual milestone of maintaining this blog, a feat that continues to surprise me every year it arrives again, and for all those who continue to read along my spiritual journey in life as well.
I began this blog in the 2nd week of January in 2013 simply as a homework assignment to journal my life, past and present. I think the spiritual teacher who originally suggested I start a blog would be quite proud of me by now as I hit the ninth-year anniversary of keeping TheTwelfthStep going.
While there have been many moments I’ve considered shuttering this site and ending my writing due to having negative thoughts that maybe no one is reading my stuff anymore, I have occasionally received reminders that have helped me immensely to achieve yet another yearly milestone. I had one such reminder from a good friend in the DC area over the holidays who told me via a private message how much I’m doing a good service and how much of a good writer he felt I am. It truly was a blessing.
Ironically, this blog was never intended initially to help others, as it was more to help me get back into the habit of writing, something I had given up long before due to addiction. At first, maintaining this blog was easy, given the depth of material I had to write about from my life. But, over the years, after writing thousands of articles, and sharing countless unique quotes, questions, and even silly jokes, it’s become much harder to do so, as I’ve often felt repetitive. Yet, I’m reminded of something my spiritual teacher once told me after I began her assignment. She said there would always be someone new who would get something out of my writing, even if it was something I previously wrote about.
So, I trudge on, and will soon be approaching 3,300 published entries on this site, which if anything, truly is a major feat and something to be grateful for. Maintaining this blog for nine years shows I’m not a quitter, which is something my now deceased mother in her former state of alcoholism once accused me of from time to time.
While I may not be the most interesting writer in the world, or the least interesting, I have led a very interesting life and continue to do so, enough that I feel warrants me to keep writing and to keep being transparent with the world on TheTwelfthStep.
I’m filled with much gratitude today for sticking to this, for reaching nine years, for God helping me to find new and unique things to write about, and for all those who continue to support my writing by reading along with me, one day at a time. I love you all.
Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson
