I got a funny story for you. Well, it's got a message buried in it too. I been sober quite some time now. I used to know how many days but I stopped counting them. I still go to a fair number of meetings, but not because I need to. I go because the newcomer needs me to. There's this one group I go to, they meet 5 times a week. A large group that breaks up into a closed discussion and a beginners group. I always go the beginners group because that's where the newcomers go.
This group had decided at one of their group conscience meetings that the person chairing the beginners group be a member of that group and that they have a minimum 6 months sobriety. Sounded fine to me. I wasn't a member of their group but every time I went to this meeting there never seemed to be any of them there. Maybe they all thought someone else was doing it. One day, I volunteered to chair. I had about 5 years under my belt so I knew how to chair a beginners group.
Next day, same thing. And the next day. And the next. I chaired the meetings about 6 weeks all totaled. I didn't mind. Well, eventually, some of the new men joined that group. They automatically assumed I was a member of the group. Some of them asked me to sponsor them. I agreed. I told them that I would like them to attend the weekly step study (my home group) that was held at my place. They agreed. It was all very normal.
One day I got a call from the GSR. He wanted me to come have a chat. Well, I knew this group was celebrating their anniversary with a special meeting. I figured he probably wanted me to be a guest speaker. After all look at all the good I was doing for their group. Well, that's not exactly what he wanted.
It seemed this group had held a group conscience meeting to decide what to do about me. After all, I had taken over their beginners group and some of them suspected I was only chairing it so I could recruit members for my own group.
After I stopped laughing, I said well suppose all this bs is true. What are you going to do to me? Put a restraining order on me? Kick me out of AA? Then he started laughing. The next day I stood at their podium and identified myself as a member of the Woodside Group and told them I was looking for members to chair meetings at my home group. Whatever they're paying you here, you come to my group and we'll double it. So everything I ever let go of has claw marks on it.
I asked their GSR if when they had their group conscience meetings if they made use of the 12 Traditions. They did not. I figured as much because Tradition One states that no member of AA can compel another member of AA to do anything. Nobody can be punished or expelled. I guess they wouldn't be putting a restraining order on me.
The situation has long since been resolved. It was just a personality clash between me and a member of their group and he was trying to "get back at me". Of course, whenever someone asks me to chair a meeting there, we all have a good laugh.
If someone who was a group member who'd been involved been there they'd known sooner than 6 weeks!! Seems you were more a member than they were! LOL Good job helping out when obviously their (group) wasn't there to do it!;)
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God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change. Courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Rheinhold Niebuhr
