Why We Keep Coming Back

We keep coming back for ourselves, of course, but after a while there is another very important reason. We keep coming back for others, especially the newcomers. What would we have done if no one had been there for us? Think about it. Remember yourself as a newcomer...

I experienced this today when I visited a meeting out of town. I didn't really feel like I needed a meeting, I just know that I do better if I go to one or two meetings a week. Turned out, though, that the only ones who showed up for this meeting the day after Thanksgiving were four members of the same family, three of whom were newcomers.

The experienced member asked me if I could lead the meeting even though I was visiting. Yes, I said, I just needed a format or a piece of literature with the steps. (I hardly ever say no to service.) The topic was easy, a newcomer's meeting. And you know what else? It was okay to have crosstalk today. It worked when it usually doesn't.

So as we travel this Broad Highway of Recovery, let us never forget to stop once in a while and visit a meeting or two or three or four. We never know when we will be carrying the message for a family member who just can't do it alone. None of us can do it alone, and I'm so grateful for the longtimers who were there for me when I was so very alone...

And I am so grateful for the opportunity over and over again to pass it on as it was passed on to me, the way it has been passed on in Al-Anon for over 55 years!