I recently finished knitting a hat for my sponsor. It’s a “dancing ladies hat,” an old Norwegian pattern with ladies kicking up their heels as they make a circle. They make me think of our meetings, learning the Steps, and finding joy in OA unity.

Knitting is my meditation. I do a bit every day, and things get finished. During this hat project, I practiced the Tools, meditated on the process of recovery, and offered a prayer for my sponsor in every stitch. One stitch isn’t much, but it is a step, and taking one step after another gets the project closer to being a garment that will serve a purpose.

If I have to backtrack, I can rip it and knit those steps again for a better result. Experienced knitters share techniques with novices and each other. We all have to keep our stitches on the needles and not drop them, lest the project unravel. But even when that happens, we can start again because there are few mistakes that are irreparable. Repetition creates a garment that is beautiful, strong, and useful.

And so it is with my OA fellows. We share Tools and Steps and our experience, strength, and hope. Little by little we see the pattern made by the Steps repeated around the circle. Beauty and meaning emerge in our work together over time.

— Edited and reprinted from The Northern Lights newsletter, Anchorage Alaska Intergroup, August 2015

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