Wonderful experience today. I had a talk with a woman friend of mine that I have known for over 20 years. Our conversation went on for about an hour. And what did we talk about? It was about how we became alcoholics. How we found sobriety. How we worked the program. How we came to know the spiritual foundation of this program.
When I thought about it later I discovered that what was going on was really a spoken meditation. That came up often during the our talk. The more I thought about it the more sure I was that it what was going on. Because our thoughts got deeper and deeper as time went on.
One thing was for certain is that we discovered, despite the difference in our years in the program, is that we’re both “old school” recovering alcoholics. We both would rather talk about the solution to our problems, rather than the problems themselves. In meetings. Out of meetings is something else.
Every time I hear this the first thing which comes to mind is the Fifth Tradition. That the group ought to be a spiritual entity, whose primary purpose is to carry the AA message to the alcoholic, who still suffers. Who’s that? Could be the new man or woman, or someone coming back. But it also could be an old timer, who for whatever reason has lost touch with the basics of this program.
And what is that message? The same as it is in the BB in the chapter There Is A Solution. It’s spiritual. The spiritual experience or awakening.
Our dependency on a Power Greater than ourselves. Putting this program into action and waking up to a new way of living. Letting the God of our understanding direct our lives. Practicing this program until we arrive at that Spiritual Awakening.
There was a lot more than this and a few laughs. But it was fulfilling for both of us. It was about our sobriety. Putting this program into action. And the personal things we spoke about fit right into this.
It was also a reminder to me of all those people I know in other states and even out of the country, with whom I’m in contact often. Good friendships, which were established in this program. Finally our getting sober and staying sober and growing along spiritual lines.
Anyway this is what I was thinking about tonight.