The last seconds of Saturday Morning

Soon it will be Saturday afternoon. I hope to spend a lot of it asleep. Saturday morning was action packed. After the meeting this morning, I got to meet with a lady who has been struggling to get sober for a couple of years. She thanked me for my time - I told her my time belongs to her! I wish I could put that into practice more than I do. In this whole week, there was no better time spent than that hour or so I spent with her.

It is amazing to me to see AA through her eyes. It doesn't look pretty. Honestly, it looks like a bunch of self-righteous bullies. We sit around puffing up our chests and talk about how great we are because we haven't had a drink for 'x' number of days. And God forbid we should fail to mention the exact number of years... it is very important you know. She gets browbeaten in meetings, and after meetings, and in between. It seems some of us don't have a full knowledge of our condition and therefore don't understand it in others when they don't behave the way we think they ought.....

And then, I get to see AA through my daughter's eyes. She celebrated 9 months of sobriety on 9/14. When I see the kindness and patience that people show her, it absolutely astounds me. Last weekend at the retreat, we were staying in a cabin with 7 people total. Let's see, their ages were: 68, 67, 67, 57, 54, 47, and then there was my little 30 year old. With 9 months of sobriety. Covered with tattoos. Bouncing off the walls. Talking 90 mph. And everyone treated her just like she was just a welcome part of the family.... because she is.... and that makes me cry with gratitude.

It is a glorious day in the Colorado sunshine. I have been out all morning. I will be in all afternoon, and then out all evening. It is a good day, full of AA fellowship. I am grateful, grateful, grateful to be a sober member of Alcoholics Anonymous.