PO Box 1980

I've noticed that unity has been coming up often in the Grapevine lately, and would like to add my two cents' worth of experience. I believe that the word unity is often misunderstood. It means "joined for a purpose." It doesn't mean joined peaceably, happily, without conflict or difference of opinion. AA literature states that "we are people who would not normally mix"--very different folks from varied lifestyles, backgrounds, religious beliefs, and personal interests. What I have seen as unity is the fact that people who may not be compatible, who may not even like each other, have the grace and courage to stand shoulder to shoulder, voluntarily bending their wills to reach out to the "alcoholic who still suffers." Countless times that alcoholic has been me! Through the four and a half years of my sobriety, I have suffered from fear, remorse, self-pity, anger, resentment, despair, and depression. When those times come (and they still do on occasion), AA never fails to stand and reach out to me. Those who love me and those who dislike me intensely together have touched me over the years and made a profound difference in my life.