The Most Important Person In the Room

Memorable meetings abound for me. There was the one in the parking lot at 3:00 A.M. during the AA International in Montreal with a full moon presiding, or the one I was asked to lead in my rusty Spanish in San Jose, Costa Rica, at an all-male group. There was my first meeting in London when I was surprised to find the Brits all speaking at once, like they do in Parliament, verbally duking it out for the opportunity to share. There were meetings at which I ran into friends I hadn't seen in years; meetings in remote villages where I'd never expected to find an AA room, yet found the familiar circle and triangle welcoming me; meetings on the beach; meetings at people's houses when they were sick or dying; meetings on church steps, on playgrounds, on airplanes. But one meeting haunts me because there's a message in it.