Discussion Topic
What part of your disease and recovery are you responsible for?
Dear ESSAY
Dave T. forwarded this Third Step prayer — a comparison of English and Polish versions. God, I offer myself to Thee Boże, ofiaruje siebie Tobie - both versions say that the presence of HP in my life is essential. The Polish ofiaruje is more like to sacrifice me without any choice.
Editors’ Corner
Dear Essay readers: This issue of Essay includes many stories on “Traditions: Relating with Others.” Your next issue in October will focus on “Humility: Being Right Sized.” Please send in any stories or short articles on your experience with Humility! Future topics are: December, 2018: Service Work as a Gift; February, 2019: Sobriety and Relationships; May, 2019: Open-mindedness. Let us hear from you at essay@sa.org
Humor For SA
There is no “I” in Team — and there is a “we” and “I” in weird.
St. Louis Convention Report
The Saint Louis SA International Convention lived up to its theme of Gateway to a New Freedom. Events began with the annual July meetings of the Trustees and the Delegate Assembly. Thirty-two delegates and alternates from around the world and eight Trustees were present. Ten or more observers were also present from time to time.
EMER Report
Dublin Regional Assembly was held from Friday – Sunday, June 22–24. There were 170+ registered including 25 S-Anon members. Participants came from 16 nations and spoke 12 different languages. This included people from the USA, Germany, and Austria. Irish hospitality at the St. Patrick’s University campus was fantastic. The space and environment were wonderful and it was easy to access the airport and city.
15th Anniversary of SA in Iran
By the grace of God, we celebrated the 15th birthday of SA fellowship in Iran on May 10th. Nearly 700 SA members, men and women, from all over Iran gathered for this anniversary celebration.
SA Internet Marathon
Last year’s Geek Camp, which brought together 600 SA members sharing online around the world for one day, was a big success.
Selfishness And Being A Victim
Here’s an important principle for me to remember: “Selfishness—self-centeredness! That, we think, is the root of our troubles. Driven by a hundred forms of fear, self-delusion, self-seeking, and self-pity, we step on the toes of our fellows and they retaliate. Sometimes they hurt us, seemingly without provocation, but we invariably find that at some time in the past we have made decisions based on self which later placed us in a position to be hurt.” (AA 62)
Elvis and Step Nine
As I worked the Steps, I had difficulty staying focused because I had looked ahead and knew Step Nine was in my future, and I was scared. My sponsor kept telling me, “Don’t worry. When you get to Step Nine, you will be ready.”
