July 23
The Welcome We Save
Certain newcomers make it easy to feel generous. They thank us, ask thoughtful questions, and seem impressed by the meeting. Others arrive suspicious, impatient, or determined to tell us what is wrong with A.A. Our welcome may vary accordingly. We tell ourselves we respond to willingness, when part of what we are responding to is how pleasant it feels to be appreciated.
A desire to stop drinking can appear in awkward company. Fear does not always introduce itself politely. Tradition Three gives us reason to examine the extra requirements we impose without writing them down. Courtesy matters, and a meeting needs protection from disruptive conduct. Still, someone need not make a good first impression to deserve a chance at recovery. We can address what needs addressing while leaving membership out of the bargain. Our welcome can be sturdier than our enjoyment of the person receiving it.
What unspoken qualifications have I added to the desire to stop drinking?
An awkward arrival is still an arrival.
For the A.A. nerds: Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, Tradition Three.