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In
an interview that I did with Jim Estelle, Past Chairman of the General
Service Board and Class A (Non alcoholic) Trustee, he mentioned that on many
occasions, after speaking, members of the audience would come up to thank
him for his talk. On many occasions one of the well wishers would thank him
and acknowledge a previous acquaintance with him. “They would tell me they
had served time in one of the prisons that I administered.” “We in service,
refer to this as ‘payday,’ Jim said. “It is our reward for the many hours of
carrying the message to the next suffering alcoholic.”
Since our Summer Issue is usually a
service oriented issue I am asking you service workers out there to tell
members the fellowship stories of YOUR PAYDAY. The day that made you feel
all of your efforts in carrying the message were worth it, and had paid off.
In my years of going into prisons I
have met many an ex-inmate who introduced themselves to me after the an AA
meeting with “do you remember me? The last time you saw me I was in Jail. I
remember you brought a meeting to us.” One was a fellow who got out of Union
County Jail. I met him at a business meeting of an AA group that met every
Wednesday night right across the street from the jail. He had joined the
group that night at the business meeting and volunteered to be the group’s
secretary. Twice I have met former inmates at our Area Conventions. I even
met an ex-inmate one time at bookers. PAYDAY – something we said not only
got these people to an AA meeting but got them involved in AA right away.
Every week, the corrections officer at the front door would ask how the
meeting went that evening. I would reply “just fine.” He would say “You know
you are wasting your breath?” I would just smile, because I knew quite the
opposite was true. Even on those bad nights my reward was — I was sober.
Our district PI rep. once related the
story about when he worked a health fair. A 12 year girl came to his booth
and chose the pamphlets AA For Women, Is AA For You, Letter to a Woman
Alcoholic, and Is There An Alcoholic In Your Life. He jokingly said to her
“I’m sorry that I don’t have free pens, balloons, and key rings like the
other booths to give away.” She looked at him and said, “That’s ok it is the
information that is more important.” It nearly brought him to tears.
Standing Committees, Special
Committees, DCMs, GSRs, Intergroup Delegates, and Night Watch volunteers,
tell us some of your memorable PAYDAY stories.
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