We took a newcomer to our AA meeting out for coffee. Our new fellow had identified as ‘coming back’ in the meeting, and everyone welcomed him enthusiastically. All the men talked about the courage needed to come back and admit to a slip. Over coffee, we learned that our new…

To be sure, to be sane, or not to be sane is a question. Sanity comes and goes. Last week I was sane, and this week I am not. But there is more than sanity or not sanity; sanity is complicated and nuanced: it increases and decreases in quantity, and…

We were talking over coffee and disagreed; I did not know much about the subject of the conversation, but with my secret mental skills, I was certain I was right. I was being ignorant and intransigent; a habit of mine. My friend said, “you are so damn stubborn.” I replied…

Removing defects was the subject of the AA meeting. One fellow shared, “I have studied my defects for a long time and came to see that defects are habits — powerful habits. “I never miss an opportunity to practice them — especially bad habits. Sleeping in is a bad habit…

Gulf Shores, Alabama, has great AA culture. One meeting and one share stands out in my memory. Harry was his name. He began, “I had a problem. I had a great pair of running shoes; they fit well and were comfortable. Putting them on one morning, I pulled too hard…

An AA brother who shared at this week’s meeting had a culinary premise. He began, “last night, I was cleaning up after making supper. I thought, there’s a pattern here. Clean the pot. Cook. Dirty the pot. Clean the pot. Cook. Over and over, it goes. “Then I thought about…

I recently heard two outstanding shares at an AA meeting, one building on the other. The first fellow began, “I came to AA because I had nowhere else to go; I stayed in AA because there is nowhere else I would rather be.” After that fabulous opening, he continued, “I…

An AA and his sponsee met for coffee at a waterfront café, part of a marina. The setting was appropriate; the sponsee was a mariner, a professional captain, knowledgeable in all things relating to ships and nautical stuff. They were talking about meditation and prayer. Near their table, a thick…

I was not in the Program long when a wise lady saved me. I was sober, with many thoughts and theories about God. God was this or was not that. God cared for us, but He was in a different dimension. God sometimes seemed good but not so good at…