June 6
Staying for the Business
The recovery meeting ends, and the business meeting is about to begin. We could leave. The discussion may concern rent, literature, and who will make coffee next month. None of it sounds as nourishing as the hour just finished. Yet the hour we value depends on these unglamorous decisions getting made by somebody.
Participation changes our relationship with what the group provides. We begin to see the room as something members sustain together. That does not mean everyone has equal time or the same ability to serve. A brief contribution, an informed vote, or an honest account of what we can undertake still matters. We may find less reason to criticize decisions from a distance once we have shared the difficulty of making them. Belonging gains a practical dimension when our presence helps the meeting remain available for someone who has not walked through the door yet.
What part of this group's ordinary life am I able to share?
The meeting needs its unremarkable arrangements.
For the A.A. nerds: Twelve Concepts for World Service, Concept IV.