Happy Holidays From Central Office
Judy F., info@aascv.org
Another year will soon be drawing to a close for Santa Clarita Valley Central Office and with heartfelt gratitude can say it is just the fiscal year that draws to a close and not the doors.
Gratitude month, which has been the tradition of passing a second basket at meetings for contributions for Central Office, comes to an end November 30th. I have been thinking how we can continue the emphasis on gratitude for the remainder of the year and have decided to have a “gratitude tree” at Central Office. Your contribution will be to bring a special ornament to the office and hang it on our tree. There will also be ornaments at the office that can be used just for this purpose. Special messages can be included with any ornament hung. I’m hoping our tree gets full as the message of our gratitude spreads.
Pretty much everyone knows how AA began – the need for Bill to talk with another drunk or he was going to drink again; finding Dr. Bob; telling Dr. Bob his story – and poof AA began.
A simple idea probably planted by a Higher Power as we understand him, and the courage of these two men to move in unchartered territory.
I’m thinking that Central Office began in the same context. Two drunks talking at a meeting – “you know what we need out here? We need a place that can sell AA literature to all the meetings in Santa Clarita without us having to drive to the valley every time we need a Big Book” – poof SCV Central Office opened its doors.
Think about the General Service Office in NY. Bill W. knew if AA kept growing various service positions would need to be created to assist in carrying the message to the alcoholic who still suffered and went beyond making coffee and collecting the 7th tradition. He probably spoke with Dr. Bob and said, “Hey Bob, we know of at least 8 or 10 meetings that have cropped up from one end of the country to the other, how do you figure we are going to service them all and be effective?” Poof, General Service.
Knowing the Rafters Group beginnings, it was a couple drunks who thought Santa Clarita needed more than the two or three meetings that were going on out here and decided to open the Rafters. With a couple folding chairs and a coffee pot, the Rafters’ doors were opened. Fifty years later, they are still opening their doors daily to the alcoholic who still suffers.
OMG! Now I must figure out where I was going with all this history and storytelling...
And it’s probably back to my first sentence of heartfelt gratitude that Central Office’s doors will be open again next year with a few changes on the horizon because a couple drunks got together and said, “what if?”
What if we opened a Central Office Annex on the other side of Santa Clarita? We could offer AA literature, chips and medallions, and some of the “drunk junk” items in a small annex. Even though our grand opening may be delayed a bit due to some unforeseen hiccups, Central Office will be growing as it continues to meet its commitment to Tradition 5 to carry the message to the alcoholic who still suffers.
Another “what if” at Central Office has been the formation of a CPC Committee (Cooperation with the Professional Community). In reaching out to our AA community, I have people volunteering to be part of this committee to learn how we can better provide information about A.A. to those who have contact with alcoholics through their profession. Information is provided about where we are, what we are, what we can do, and what we cannot do.
It is due to the continued support of our local meetings and individual contributions that your Central Office can branch out in its service here in Santa Clarita.
I am grateful for all of the opportunities I get to be of service here in our A.A. community and each one started with – “Hey Judy, do you think you could do ... and even though inside my head always said no, my head outside was bobbing up and down saying yes I think I could do that.” It is a wild journey and I thank My Great Spirit for the grace in allowing me to keep on keeping on.