Yesterday we talked about the third step. I thought it was a good meeting as did others I talked to afterwards. There were people who presented a few new viewpoints on this step and I was glad that I had a chance to hear them.
But all in all I was dissapointed in the number of people in attendance. I chalked some of this up to it being Summer and that some people were away on vacation. But, I know that’s only partially true.
Today is chip day and I know there will be an influx of people, who show up to collect their symbol of a milestone in their lives. They probably won’t put in an appearance until next year at this time.
I was thinking of the third step this morning. About God’s will for me and about God’s will for the group. I believe that God’s will for me is that I don’t pick up a drink today. I think it’s true for all of us, who are sober by the grace of God and this program. But I also think of something else…
Everytime we have a scheduled tradition meeting, the crowd at the meeting is significantly smaller. Attendance drops off. It’s obvious that few are interested in what holds this program together. That brought me back to the thought I had.
If it’s God’s will that I don’t drink today, I think the means to that is through the group. Groups. What if we all dropped out and only came back periodically? If that were the case then someday we might come back and find the group was no longer there.
That led me to the thought that it’s incumbent on those of us who desire to stay sober to be at the meetings and support the groujps we belong to and attend on a regular basis. That thought does not come naturally to me. It was instilled into my mind by my sponsor and those old timers who went ahead of me. Why? Because I now know that I can’t stay sober by myself. But more than that. It was alslo drilled into me that there has to be a place where the new guy or gal can come and find what was so freely given to us.
As the old timers passed away, they left us with a responsibility to pass it on.
Anyway, I was just thinking as I am getting ready to go to a meeting today.
Boardwalk for $500? In 2007? Ha!