Alabama, near the Gulf of Mexico, is a beautiful place to visit. And it has a great AA culture. The slow southern language and the welcoming hospitality make for beautiful shares and brilliant meetings. I have many fond memories of new AA friends and great shares at AA meetings in the Gulf Shores region of Alabama.
It seems to be a cultural meme that if you don’t have anything to say about the Program and the solution, you pass. And, perhaps because of the slow manner of speech, people take time to think about what they are saying. So, when AAs share at meetings, typically, the share is short and direct.
As a result, even a large meeting can move to the informal ‘coffee and cake’ after the meeting within 45 minutes. And that leaves a lot of time for one-on-one conversations, where detailed follow-up is done.
One meeting and one share stand out in my memory. It was in Orange Beach, Alabama. It was a Step meeting, and we were discussing Step #11. There were several good shares, and each followed the local culture: short and Program based.
Many of the shares referred to the types of meditation that people followed. Others talked about different prayer styles and methods. They shared their success enjoyed through daily prayer—still others related stories of fox-hole prayers. A variety of meditation and prayer methodologies and manners were described.
But the best was a craggy, older southern gentleman, well dressed in a patterned shirt and beige slacks. He had a relaxed face, white hair and weathered features, a quiet calm that suggested years of serenity. And a drawl so long and a voice so deep that you imagined it would take a month to express an idea.
He said, with elongated ease, “ Maaa name is Reeginaald, and Ahhh am an aalcoholic.” As he said this, I thought, “incredible, he said ‘my name’ using five syllables, not two.”
After a long pause, the gentleman continued, “Step #11 has nothing to do with technique, and everything to do with discipline thank y’all.”
What more could be said?
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From Frank Amos and his report to John Rockefeller in 1938
Serenity or Courage
A couple of immediate comments:
From Bruce “TRUTH” (caps in the original)
And from Shawn
“Thank you Andy. True story. I “just do it” even when “it” doesn’t feel right. Have a great day.
Peace, Shawn”
From an English AA brother:
“Ooh that was one of my favourites. Sumptuously well articulated. Thank you, Andy.”
From Pete:
“That was excellent. Thanks for sharing Andy!”
A couple of additional comments from friends and supporters:
From Cathy D : “Thank you for continuing to share.”
And from Jim P.: “Hi Andy –I am really enjoying receiving the emails. I agree with Reginald – discipline of a daily practice creates a container; in this case, I fill the container with prayer and connectivity to God.
Many thanks for being there.
Best,
Jim”