My home group is like the lifeboat Bill describes in the Big Book. We row together through dangerous waters, away from the sinking ship of our lives. On good days I take my turn at rowing but on some days it’s all I can do is hang onto the side while the other members row me to safety. We are like a family. Even through we don’t always see eye to eye, in our hearts we are there for each other. We need each other to survive.
My home group is the only place I don’t need to struggle to be special, because the other members know the truth about me. They know my drinking history and the wreckage I caused. They know if not for God’s grace, I’d still be sitting on my filthy easy chair at 10:00 am drinking cheap red wine, smoking pot and watching re-runs of lame TV programs. At most meeting of my home group I can relax and just be me, warts and all. As my mind relaxes, it opens to a Presence that fills the room.
My home group gives me an opportunity to be of service. It doesn’t matter if I’m washing coffee cups, keeping track of the 7th Tradition or setting up the meeting room. As long as I contributing to the group I am connected, feeling a part of, not apart from. I am no longer separate and alone, but inside the circle of One, the One who has all power.