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End of the Year THANK YOUs
  As another year draws to a close, I’d like to take this opportunity to say, “Thank you” to all the groups, meetings, service committees, and individuals who have supported your Central Office this year. Whether it was financially or by volunteering their time, these members are the reasons our office has been able to be here for another year. By looking over the financial statement monthly, it is easy to see where the monetary and spiritual do mix to ensure we will be here for the newcomers. The groups and meetings are listed along with those who have celebrated a birthday, wanted to give to the Buck of the Month, or by those who wanted to Put Your [Their] Money Where Your [Their] Mouth Is (P.Y.M.W.Y.M.I.). It is easy to see there are a lot of names!

  What isn’t quite as easy is seeing all the names of those who volunteer their time. That is the reason I wanted to list their name this year, so they could get that pat on the back they deserve and to encourage others to be of service to your Central Office. In the office, they answer the phones for general information on A.A., talk to the brand new person seeking help from this deadly disease, arrange for Twelve Step calls, warmly greet our visitors and sell literature. At home (Call-Forwarding), they answer the phone at all hours of the day and night for information and Twelve Step calls. This leads to those on the Twelve Step lists. They are the ones who might take a newcomer to a meeting, to a detox center, or just share their experience, strength and hope. They all do an OUTSTANDING JOB!

Last but not least, thank you to all the service committees. They too donate their time and energies bringing great events to our area for all of us to enjoy, and they go into the prisons and treatment centers to carry the message.

   Meetings are not the Program
   The A.A. program of recovery is about building a relationship based on reliance upon God, not about reliance on meetings. Some people may want to change that to fit their own agendas, but this program wasn't given to us for us to change it – it was given so that we could be changed.

I spent 7 months in China, in an area where there were no meetings. By relying on God and striving to be helpful to others, I was given the grace to stay sober and useful.    Our book doesn't talk about getting –or staying – spiritually fit by attending meetings. The folks that began our fellowship didn't recover by attending meetings. We recover through the program of action called the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous.

   I tried relying on meetings for a period of time prior to truly surrendering and pursuing the course of action that was given to us. During that period, I was insane. I was suffering from untreated alcoholism (beautifully described on page 52 of our basic text) right in the middle of Alcoholics Anonymous! I was sharing about my problems as honestly as I could, making coffee, talking to newcomers. . . . and dying of untreated alcoholism.

   Luckily, I was approached by some folks that helped me to see that, sadly, too many of our Fellowship, meetings have become mandatory and the Steps are optional. Once I was shown the clear directions in our Big Book and carefully guided through them (in one-on-one appointments with a sponsor, not by “talking about them” in meetings) I was awakened spiritually.

   If anyone out there is suffering like I was, wondering why life is bitter and not satisfying even while "doing A.A." (i.e. attending lots of meetings, making coffee, etc.), please know that THERE IS A SOLUTION. And it's not going to meetings. That's not the program of recovery. That's the Fellowship. That's where I've been taught to show up with this solution. My problems I bring to God and I discuss with my sponsor. Meetings are where newcomers arrive looking for help. I have a responsibility to do what I can that they get the same shot I got, by showing up there with a solution.

   So do I "have" to go meetings? No. . . . and yes. I don't have to go there to stay sober. I go to God for that. And I don't have to go there to "share," in the manner I used to do so, by dumping my problems along with lots of other people (and we weren't "bad A.A.s" either – just sick ones). If going through the Steps with a sponsor and learning (and STILL learning) how to walk this path has taught me anything, it's that I'm already whole. I don't “need” meetings the way I need food. But God has awakened something in me that tells me I need meetings because I HAVE food – spiritual food – and there are some folks starving in our midst. I can't feed them at the meeting, but I can meet them there and invite them to a wonderful restaurant I've found. It's always open.
It's always satisfying. And it's just Twelve Steps away.