I benefitted immensely. I got enough courage to share what I had never been able to share in my home meeting.

This was my sixth conference.… I had the opportunity to spend time with some of my dearest friends, and that just keeps getting better and better; that’s the main reason I’m a confirmed conference junkie. I got to make some new friends, too, and to deepen my relationship with people that I’ve only recently come to know. And at long last, I’ve met Nan [Central Office manager]! … The people with whom I share this walk are the very lifeblood of my recovery program.

The big speaker meetings were generally good, although the general tone of our instructions about where to go, and what would be when, and so on, was a little too controlling for my taste. But the discussion meetings I attended were all excellent and very powerful. I especially appreciated a meeting on keeping women in SA, which seemed to open up a much-needed dialogue between women and men in the fellowship.

And then there was the Sunday meeting. What bothered me was the fact that we had given star billing to what was essentially a professional approach. I got the strong impression that we traded in the sharing of our own experience, strength, and hope for the privilege of listening to someone tell us about ourselves from the outside. At every other conference that I’ve attended, we have finished with a meeting on spirituality in which anyone who wanted could get up and share. There was nothing like that this time; in fact, this is the first time that a conference had no place in which anyone could share with everyone there. That was what we lost Sunday. Talk about giving our power away to others!…

The entire conference enabled me to be lifted up onto a new plane of understanding, trust, and love, not only with you folks, the world, but perhaps most important, my family. …a most wonderfully and professionally organized convention. You people have given me back my life, and I am only beginning to understand how much I owe you all.

I feel I must write to you now while so many of the events of this weekend are still fresh in my mind. These past few days have been an inspiration for what the potential of recovery can be in my life. I saw and heard many who have been living in the solution for much longer than I have. I hope I can take some of [them] with me. I stated that my reason for coming was that I had lost sight of working the program. This weekend made that very clear to me. There is no progress when I’m just standing still. I can either move forward or backwards. Thank you all for giving me direction forward again. Thank you for just what I need.

The conference was wonderful and I’m really glad I went. I look forward to future get-togethers like that.…