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I am proud to be a part of Alcoholics Anonymous in Minnesota and the West Central Region! We may be one of the smallest regions in the U.S. and Canada, but we certainly do not take a back seat when it comes to being well informed. I am extremely grateful to serve with the other seven delegates in our region and am already sad knowing this was my last conference as your delegate.
I need to reiterate my comments from last year regarding the overwhelming feeling I experienced that everyone at the conference loves A.A. as much as I do, and decisions are made based on unity and what is believed to be the best for A.A. at the time. I respect the conference process and know without a doubt that God speaks through the group conscience. There is also a sense of relief in knowing that if the fellowship feels the conference made a poor decision, it can always be changed.
The conference theme this year has been discussed at many A.A. events in our area and region, "Our Singleness of Purpose - The Cornerstone of A.A." Ric D., Class B Trustee from Western Canada, gave a poignant keynote address at the Opening Session on Sunday. He once again reminded me that I am responsible to the adherence of our Traditions and the conviction to carry the single-minded focus of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Singleness of purpose is the basic element that is the foundation of everything we do. Bill W. often said that one of A.A.'s greatest strengths is its single-minded focus on one thing and one thing only.
Ric mentions in his presentation, "The truth I learned is that A.A. is for people who have a problem with alcohol. Nowhere do we say it is for people whose only problem is alcohol. I'm just not sure what we have to offer you if you don't have an alcohol problem. I know that some will say that the Twelve Steps are a blueprint for living. I don't dispute that for a second, but the Steps I am talking about are the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. They are written by alcoholics for alcoholics."
He closes his presentation with a mention about Minnesota, "I was at a service conference in Minnesota earlier this year and one of the presenters said something that struck a note with me. He said he hoped that if Bill and Dr. Bob were looking down on us today, they would recognize Alcoholics Anonymous. Me too."