The Circle and Triangle AA’s third legacy
To me the 3rd Legacy of Service is an expression of my gratitude for my sobriety and all of the people who have been there to help me. At my first meeting AA members reached out the hand of AA to me. From the guy who answered the hotline and told me there were no dues or fees, to the woman who handed me a newcomer’s packet of pamphlets and became my first sponsor, and to the person who made the coffee, each person and service they performed helped put the pieces of me back together. As I worked the steps and learned about the traditions I began to notice that these AA members who were doing these things had something special that I wanted and I realized that if I was going to stay sober I would have to start participating in service too.
On Page 29 of As Bill sees it Bill talks about service being a “repayment for the help given to you”. I did not know what I could do or how I could be of service so I asked my sponsor. Since that time, I have been active in just about every type of service in AA and one of the biggest lessons I have learned is that I will never be able to pay back what was and is being given to me. The more service I do the more I learn and the more gifts I receive and the more gratitude I feel. Then the cycle begins again. I stopped trying to “pay back” a while ago and today my gratitude can go forward with the newcomer and maybe they can experience the joy and gratitude I have been given and keep passing that forward.
Lisa B DCM 21
