Gifts

Gifts are great to give and to receive. Last night after we all had opened our gifts, John gathered up his loot and took it to his bedroom. After a few minutes he came in and handed me two six inch reel-to-reel tapes and said to take them and see if I could have them copied onto cd. The tapes were talks given by Bill W and Dr Bob in the 50s. The one of Bill W is from June 1954, the month I was born! Wow! John was telling Steve about the tapes and Steve said he could transfer them at home and this morning said he would try it this afternoon. What a great gift from a great-timer. Johns sobriety date is Feb 19, 1972, that's the year I graduated from high school. It's hard to imagine being sober during the 70s, 80s and 90s being he age I was during that time. But John is a bit older than me, thirty seven years as a matter of fact.

Today he told me of his greatest experience in AA. John ran a Western Auto store in Sweetwater, TX for forty years and founded the AA group there. One Christmas Eve a man who was a state senator called him from a fleabag hotel and said he needed to talk. John told him as soon as he could close up the store he would be there. He stayed with this man all night, and had called one of his law partners who came and took him to the airport Christmas morning. He put him on a plane bound for Colorado and a rehab center. To this day that man is sober. I was touched by this old soul sharing with me his greatest experience of service. It's what it's about.