The Seeds of Tolerance

I walked into the room and was hit with the familiar smell of stale cigarette smoke and burnt coffee. It was Sunday night and time once again for the weekly discussion meeting at my home group. I liked that particular meeting because everyone was given a numbered chip upon arrival. The leader then picked identical chips out of a wooden box and announced the number. The AA member holding the matching chip could then share on the designated topic. This way, our Higher Power made that decision for the group. I was new enough in sobriety to be very nervous about sharing, but paradoxically thought that I should be the one to talk!