JANUARY 1
“I AM A MIRACLE”
The central fact of our lives today is the absolute certainty that our Creator has entered into our hearts and lives in a way which is indeed miraculous. He has commenced to accomplish those things for us which we could never do by ourselves.ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 25
This truly is a fact in my life today, and a real miracle. I always believed in God, but could never put that belief meaningfully into my life. Today, because of Alcoholics Anonymous, I now trust and rely on God, as I understand Him; I am sober today because of that! Learning to trust and rely on God was something I could never have done alone. I now believe in miracles because I am one!My First Meeting
Please be “of service.” If you’ve never contributed a “My First Meeting”, please help to keep this column going…we need you! What do you remember most of your first meeting? It can be one sentence; it can be up to two paragraphs. Could be funny, poignant or strictly “clinical”. Write what you want…you might have enjoy writing it!
Tradition 01
Short Form
“Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon A.A. unity.”
Long Form
“Each member of Alcoholics Anonymous is but a small part of a great whole. A.A. must continue to live or most of us will surely die. Hence our common welfare comes first. But individual welfare follows close afterward.”
Tradition Summary
WE BEFORE ME
Unity begins with an individual. Having unity within oneself and with one’s Higher Power is vital to expressing unity in any other relationship. When one is following the guidance and will of a Higher Power, inner balance is achieved and then the ability to participate in a healthy relationship is greatly improved. Thus the relationship’s unity is best serviced by each individual’s unity with a Higher Power.
The Twelve Steps produce recovery and enable us to match calamity with serenity without taking the first drink. Recovery is the restoration of our relationship with God through sobriety. Our happiness, though, is incomplete unless we expand our loving relationship with God to our relationships with each other.
The Traditions show us how to love each other. The principles of the group apply to the individual. Through working the principles of the traditions we carry out the steps in the world. We live in the solution, not the problem. We are united with each other in love. When we love, we want to serve. The concepts of service then show us how to love each other through being of service to the world. Hence, A.A. has the three-word motto, “Recovery-Unity-Service”, based on the Twelve Steps, Twelve Traditions, and Twelve Concepts of Service.
Since the bottom has risen in A.A. there has been a need to go beyond recovery into learning how to get and maintain relationships. We must apply the First Tradition in all areas our life (A.A., Work, Home, etc.) so our sobriety isn’t threatened. If we do not place our common welfare first, we could easily stay a loner and eventually drink out of loneliness.
Step-Tradition Parallel
Each tradition answers the question raised by the parallel step. The connection between the First Step and the First Tradition is that I am powerless over alcohol and have an unmanageable life, so I am dependent upon uniting myself with A.A. for my personal recovery. The Step states the problem and the Tradition states the solution. What do I do about my powerlessness and unmanageability? I join A.A. and place our common welfare first, since my personal recovery depends upon doing this.
From an idea by George T.
January Birthdays… IF They Make It!
January 2nd… Ken B. celebrates 21 years
January 18th… John O. celebrates 7 years
January 22nd… Sean F. celebrates 4 years
January 25th… Fred C. celebrates 9 years
If your birthday has been missed…. fill out the birthday form.
We really want to celebrate your AA anniversary because your birthday made ours possible!
Thanks everybody and apologies to you if you were missed or incorrectly noted.
Mastering Step 1
We can see progress – sometimes. Step one. if anyone can “Master” Step One. We can, at times see progress.
You’ll have to follow me on this one. I cannot even discern when it starts.
I was blessed with a wife and three daughters, My drinking screwed that up plenty. Additionally, I spoiled them rotten. I still spoil the wife, even as an Ex. We’ll call that, somewhat a root cause.
Consequently, the week after Christmas, we have gotten out of town. Ever since my kids were little. Either to the sunny venues to the South or up to the mountains because in our youth, that’s what we did when we were kids.
The over all scenario has never changed. We cram into one room or now that there are grandkids we cram into a two room “suite” complete with kitchenette. About 600 sq.ft.
Even if it was a 20,000 sq.ft. high roller lodge, I don’t think it would be big enough. Things that normally take an hour or two, like writing this column, take days because of interruptions. I won’t even mention how sore my legs and back are from attempting the snow activities.
Compounding that,I have this thing with my eyes. When I tell anyone, I don’t think I can drive down to the Seven Eleven, the looks of disdain and disappointment. “You expect one of us to drive in that blizzard?”
One might give credence to, even some one with almost 12 years of Sobriety, to look for a bar, especially at Happy Hour.
So what’s the point?
When I first got sober, I had liquor cravings for a few years. After three years I began to feel somewhat human again. Most of the time today, I don’t crave much other than those double cheese smashburgers at Jack. They taste so good going down but after, not so much. In an exponential scale, I think going out drinking would have the same effect.
If I was with a bunch of buddies, I would have bolted by now. Family, I gotta stick it out. The person next to me at dinner last night was pounding a couple of Old Fashioneds. I could smell them more than my dinner.
Like a wise man in our group says, “Sometimes you just hang on.” New Years Eve is tomorrow, so far so good.
Happy New Year, Everyone. May your 2025 be your best year ever. We will have a good chance if we just hang on when we have to.
Contributed by John M.
The GSR Says!
GENERAL SERVICE REPORT
Central California Fellowship of AA Delegates Meeting
December 21, 2024
The following is a summary of the CCFAA Delegates Meeting of 2024
Opening
a. Call to order at 3:00PM. Moment of Silence, Serenity Prayer
b. Readings: Twelve Traditions, CCFAA Preamble
c. 7th Tradition Reminder
Delegate and Visitors Check-in
a. Total Delegates attending – 42
b. A Quorum was reached
Sobriety Birthdays for December
a. 55 years of sobriety for the December birthdays
New Group Applications for December 2024
a. Practicing Principles – 4465 H Street, Sacramento
b. The Outsider’s Group – 518 12th Street, Marysville
c. Very Thirsty Caterpillars At Monarch, 5248 15th Street, Sacramento
d. 4th Dimension Group Young People, 13960 Gold Star Road, Grass Valley
All four groups were approved and welcomed to CCFAA. Further information on these new
groups can be found on the CCFAA website
CCFAA Budget Information
● FYI – The main source of revenue for CCFAA comes from literature sales, medallion
sales and group contributions
a. Literature Sales for November 2024 were $4,962 over budget at $12,045 vs. the budget
of $7,083
b. Medallion Sales for November 2024 were over budget by $263 at $3,388 vs. the budget
of $3,125
c. Group Contributions for November 2024 were down by $1,621 coming in at $10,378 vs.
a budget of $12,000
Overall, CCFAA’s results were below budget for the period ending November 30, 2024, but
remain ahead of budget year-to-date
Vonage Call Report
New Business – Call training for eight new subs has been completed. CCFAA has full coverage
to start 2025 strong
Teleservice will cover the following dates:
a. December 25th and 26th, 2024
b. January 1st, 2025
This is all for December’s delegate meeting. I would appreciate your input regarding the content
of my report. My goal is to make this report more informational and helpful to you. Please let me know what you like or don’t like, or would like to see included.
Thank you for letting me be of service to the 2nd Step Men’s Group.
Mark Q.
Funny Pages
First Wednesday… January 1st
Come join a review of Step 1 on January 1st (First Wednesday). “We admitted we were powerless over alcohol – that our lives had become unmanageable.”
John reviews the step corresponding to the number of that month on each first Wednesday. It’s a rewarding meeting with John outlining the step of the month, how he was challenged by it and how we tackle it ourselves, with and without success! Look for his monthly contribution in this edition!
“Mouse’s Corner”
A.A. member Dave Mc. curates a few selected readings from a variety of A.A. related publications each month.
Something different…
A short message from Dr Bob Smith:
It is a most wonderful blessing to be relieved of the terrible curse with which I was afflicted. My health is good and I have regained my self-respect and the respect of my colleagues. My home life is ideal and my business is as good as can be expected in these uncertain times. I spend a great deal of time passing on what I learned to others who want and need it badly. I do it for four reasons:
- Sense of duty.
- It is a pleasure.
- Because in so doing I am paying my debt to the man who took time to pass it on to me.
- Because every time I do it I take out a little more insurance for myself against a possible slip.
Unlike most of our crowd, I did not get over my craving for liquor much during the first two and one-half years of abstinence. It was almost always with me. But at no time have I been anywhere near yielding.
Contributed by Dave Mc.
Step 2 Men’s Group Believes…
“Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.”
We’d never presume that the 12 Steps are not clear. Nor would we imply that they need ‘improvement’. However…for purposes of assisting to keep the meeting pointed in an important direction each day, the “Step 2 Men’s Group Statement” is read as follows:
Step 2 Men’s Group is founded on the belief that spirituality is essential to our sobriety.
Our group is non-religious, but we do not oppose anyone’s religious beliefs. We believe that respect for others and their beliefs is essential to our spiritual development.
Accordingly we ask that avoid criticism of others or of their religion or lack of religion, their race, ethnicity, national origin, age, sexual orientation, physical appearance, trade or profession, length of sobriety, or personal beliefs.
Our goal is to further our spirituality, our sobriety and our personal development, not to confront or belittle others. Always remember to be kind to others.
Our Trusted Servants Continue to Be:
The current Step 2 Men’s Group meeting schedule is Monday, Wednesday & Friday at Tim’s (3809 J St), Tuesday & Thursday online, Saturday in the park is “Daily Reflections” and Sunday is our Rogue meeting in the park. Each gathering is one hour. Great job men!
- Monday: Tim C.
- Tuesday: Mark C.
- Wednesday: John M.
- Thursday: Chuck S.
- Friday: Jon B.
- Saturday: Dave M.
- Sunday: Mark C.
Want to add your name to the “Back-up-Help-Substitute Secretary List”? Just contact Group GS, John M., Treasurer Mark W. or any of our other Secretaries and let them know!
Extra Special Thanks Dept:
Thanks to our General Secretary John M. for ‘Mastering Step 1’, Dave Mc. for “Mouse’s Corner”, Mark Q for his GSR services, Tom W for comics, and our Treasurer Mark W. for all your contributions. We’re still waiting for YOU gentle reader…Why don’t YOU contribute a short “something?” Any length, most any AA related topic. Reply now and it will get included next month!
Men’s Gazette – December 2024