The Acts of Recovery in Philadelphia (Springfield, PA) were held on January 24, and provided the kind of recovery talks that inspire us all to try to practice the principles that are laid out for us in the book Alcoholics Anonymous. The popularity of these events is starting to spread the AA message in such an enthusiastic way that it is crossing the country to Boston, Florida, Texas, and California. Even Harrisburg will be having ACTS, which is scheduled to be held at the Middletown Presbyterian Church on March 22, 2004. There is a website that shows the scheduled events and has flyers (as they are available) at www.intoaction.org

The Philadelphia Acts of Recovery got under way with Jane C from the Bug Light Speakers Group of York as the first speaker. Jane says she grew up in Jersey and like so many of us, she was never comfortable in her own skin. She got into drinking IN high school, that is, she brought gallon jugs of milk (White Russians) to school, because God's plan for her was for her to party, because it was the only thing she was good at. She was lazy and self centered to an extreme, and drinking made her feel a comfort and ease that she could not attain any other way. She at some point found some older guys who could supply her with what she needed; she found him, but that didn't last long, as she was too self absobed fat and drunk. The solution was to move to California and be discovered. She discovered that she could make money in the restaurant business, and developed some skills in the high end restaurant business, but after five years she was really mentally ill and came back to mom in Jersey. She gradually by degrees got into Alcoholics Anonymous. She started to seriously try to recover, and as a result of hearing two women at a York Acts of Recovery changed sponsors to someone who worked a program of action in service to God's other kids. She is quite active in York AA and no longer thinks of the geographical moves of her past as a solution, but plans to stay put, unless AA needs her to move again. She thinks it's ironic that her topic was "Practice these principles in all our affairs" as she believes she does not practice the principles in her relationship. Finally, she is attempting to get outside guidance in this area by consulting women who are in successful relationships. The love of her son and his father is a motivation to ask for help to become open minded and grow. And that is what the principles are about.

The second speaker was Jim B from Chatham, NJ, whose topic was "Institutions and Alcoholics Anonymous". Jim remembers, as a very young boy, how he just knew the world was as it should be, he was loved, and everything was going to be OK. But, when he got to be about five, he started to think there was a separation between him and his creator; he began to look for ways to make himself appear to be better than he was, and it didn't seem to be working. Eventually he found that alcohol was the solution. A friend paid him 20 bucks to go to an AA meeting with him, and he liked the stories he heard but he was certainly not desperate enough for that God stuff. He kept hanging around AA and didn't drink for ten years but he heard a guy share that he may have one bad day a year, and Jim ended up seeking him out, to find out how to be happier with his own life. It ended that he found that he needed to work the Steps. He found that the Third Step was about becoming more of a giver than a taker. He soon was engaged in the Program of AA as the center of his life, his sponsor suggested he get involved in institution service, so he went to a locked ward and asked if they thought they could use an AA meeting on the ward; he began taking a meeting there five times a week. He has found that doing with concern for others makes it possible for him to have just as many fantastic days as he wants to have.

After a free lunch to satisfy the need for caloric nourishment, guests were treated to the sharing of Olivia N from the Bethel Group of Upper Marlboro, MD. Olivia's sobriety date is June 10, 1973. She believes the Bethel Group is the best group in the world. If you don't think your group is the best, she hopes you will stay there and make it the best, because she doesn't want you changing groups and come messing up the Bethel Group. She took some time to describe some changes she's seen over the years in AA. When she started, the old-timers didn't tell you what to do, they showed you. Her sponsor came and picked her up for meetings every day at first. They always traveled to meetings in groups. If it hadn't been like that she wouldn't have made it. She didn't understand a lot of things about alcoholism, and would whine and complain about what they told her. They'd say "Honey, we didn't send for you, you came here on your own." They said they'd rather hurt your feelings than go to your funeral. She was taught that making a decision to turn our will and life over to the care of God is necessary to take away the fear of working the rest of the Steps. But we don't actually turn our will over until much further down in the steps because we don't know how. She was taught that the purpose of the Steps is for us to abandon ourselves to God, because God is everything.   

The final speaker of the afternoon was a Philadelphia native named Jason K, whose topic was "Love and Service". AA was the first place he ever felt like he was part of anything. He started drinking at age 12 on the Streets of Philly with his friends, because he wanted to be accepted. A few years later his friends would go home at a normal hour, like 3 or 4 in the morning, but he would stay out 8 or 9 more days. But he thought he was OK. His drinking was out of hand very quickly. A lot of jail, parole, rehabs and destruction later he came to AA, where he was sent. His alcoholism wanted him to believe his way could get him sober, so he participated in AA Fellowship for five years of intermittent drinking and misery. Fellowship is to attract hopeless drunks to a Program of Action, where through taking actions they don't believe in, they undergo a change in their thinking. The advice to "Just don't drink" is contrary to the First Step, which admits that we are powerless over alcohol, and How It Works begs us to be fearless and thorough in working the Steps from the very start. By taking the actions of the Steps, we have a spiritual awakening that gives us a love of God and a desire to be of service by practicing these principles in all our affairs.

Hope to see each of you at a future mini-conference of the Acts of Recovery.

The Big Book Study Group in New Cumberland has expanded their schedule to now include a Friday evening meeting at 7:00PM at the Faith United Church of Christ, 1120 Drexel Hills Blvd – New Cumb. "O,BB,NS"

The Thursday evening 8:00PM Bridge Street meeting at the Trinity United Methodist Church at 421 Bridge Street, has stopped meeting, and has been removed from the schedule. The Sunday 8 PM speaker meeting is still alive and well.

The change in Fellowship House hours has caused the Late Night Meeting to relocate from Fellowship House to a new meeting place. The meetings will be each evening, Mon - Fri at 11:15; Sat at 12 (midnight); and Sunday at 11:00PM. The new location is the Parkside Cafe 2009 State Street.

19th Street is starting it's monthly dances again. They will be on the first Saturday of the month unless there may be something else going on at the Fellowship House. Adult admissions cost $5.00. It should be a great time for all. Any questions or directions to the Fellowship House at 1251 So. 19th St. Harrisburg, call Bill P. at 215-8377.

The Mid-City Group, which is the oldest continuous meeting group in the City, is in need of support. The location is on Vine Street, which is the last left off Front Street before Paxton St and the 83 ramp. They meet:
Tues 7:30PM – Mid City Group – St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, River & Vine Sts – "CD,NS"
Thurs 7:30PM – Mid City Group – St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, River & Vine Sts – "CD,NS"
Sat 7:30PM – Mid City Group – St. Paul’s United Meth. Church, River & Vine Sts – "OD,NS"

Pearl of the Month (submitted by Charlotte F., from the Grapevine March 1962)

A Full and Thankful Heart

One exercise that I practice is to try for a full inventory of my blessings and then for a right acceptance of many gifts that are mine - both temporal and spiritual.  Here I try to achieve a state of joyful gratitude.  When such a brand of gratitude is repeatedly affirmed and pondered, it can finally displace the natural tendency to congratulate myself on whatever progress I may have been enabled to make in some areas of living. 

    I try hard to hold fast to the truth that a full and thankful heart cannot entertain great conceits.  When brimming with gratitude, one's heartbeat must surely result in outgoing love, the finest emotion that we can ever know.