“We have found much of heaven and we have been rocketed into a fourth dimension of existence of which we had not even dreamed.” – Alcoholics Anonymous, p79 (look it up!)
My AA life provides lots of opportunities to feel like I’m being rocketed into a fourth dimension, but I think our Third Legacy of service is where it first became apparent to me. In fact, I’ve often thought of my experience in general service as being like riding on a rocket ship.
When I first started as GSR, people told me I was embarking on an incredible adventure. I attended all these training sessions, received manuals, spent time with other GSRs – all feeling like I was preparing for something. Then as DCM, it felt like I was strapped to a rocket. Everything was moving too fast, stuff around me was shaking, and I thought it might all blow up. Then one day, not long before my rotation as DCM came to an end, it felt like I escaped the confines of gravity. A starry night burst into view, and I felt a new sense of peace, as well as one of greater adventure and opportunity.
Okay, enough of our heads in the stars, let’s get our feet firmly planted back on earth where our fellow travelers are.
I’ve told this story before, but I don’t know that I’ve ever written it down. The first time I attended an Area event, I was overwhelmed by the recognition that people had been meeting like this long before I was even born, so that they could be ready for me the day I needed AA. I still get this feeling every time I attend an AA service event. The hairs on my arms stand up, my eyes get a little bit wet, and I can’t quite wrap my head around the enormity of what I’m experiencing – I can just do my best to take it in and appreciate it.
One of the things I love about AA is that we almost never know the effect we have on other people. We may catch a glimpse of it here or there – do general service long enough, and somebody will eventually tell you how you said or did something that inspired them in some way – but I doubt we have any real sense of the impact we have most of the time. I remember at that first Area assembly, watching our delegate listen intently as the Area body spoke for 9+ hours. I had never seen anything like it before, and I still recall that memory at Area events. I’ve had countless experiences witnessing people do AA service, that have shaped how I approach things.
I also get to bring my Third Legacy experiences back to my home group. We don’t do things perfectly in General Service, but we have developed an abundance of experience and have settled on things that work pretty well, informed by our missteps with things that don’t work so well. I pay attention to the way we conduct ourselves in General Service, and bring those ideas back to my home group. What do you know – our Third Legacy principles work pretty well at the group level too!
Finally, our Third Legacy has changed how I approach Twelfth Step work. When I’m sitting across from a guy who has no idea what AA has to offer and the extraordinary ways his life might change, I know that I stand on firm ground. I have my own experience, which aligns with the experience of the fellowship around me, and the collective experience of AA as a whole. I know that every day, AA members around the world are actively participating in all three legacies, so that we can connect with other alcoholics and be effective in carrying our message. I know that a loving God has brought us together over the years, so in that moment when a seemingly hopeless alcoholic is desperate for a solution, an ex-problem drinker properly armed with the facts about themself can win their entire confidence and show them a way out.
I have people in my life who I pray will experience the gift of AA. I’m sure you do too. I may not be the right person to carry the message to my loved ones – which is why I’m so grateful to you for stepping up and carrying the message. And for me to get to stand alongside you and do the same for you? That’s being rocketed into a fourth dimension.
<3 Patrick
