SA/S-Anon Convention, July 2010, Chicago, IL

I had a great experience at the Chicago Convention. I usually attend non-taped meetings at conventions, so that when I get home and listen to CDs of the taped meetings, I feel like I’m attending a second convention!

The meetings I attended were large; I counted 80 members in one meeting. Sharing guidelines stipulated that only members with 30 days or more sobriety could share for the first 20 minutes—ensuring that the sharing would be focused on the solution. After that, anyone could share, but the sharing was limited to one minute. This seemed to make the shares more focused and real.

After the meeting, all 80 of us stood up and said the Serenity Prayer in unison. The sound boomed in my ears, solidifying the unity of the fellowship and further making me feel “a part of.”

Following are a just a few things I heard in the meetings I attended:

• SA Member: God, I have three things I need to do today. Which one should I do first? God: I had 500 things for you to do today and you picked the bottom three.
• If I’m looking for what’s wrong, I can never see what’s right.
• I’m never alone when I’m connected to the fellowship.
• Surrender is getting away from what I’m doing and doing something else.
• I surrender my right to be right.