Saturday, July 25, 2009

Rotation today...

I shot this picture this morning on the way to the board meeting for the AA conference that I'm attending this weekend. It was kind of a bittersweet morning.

I am in the mountains that I love with some people that I dearly love and owe, in no small part, my life to. This conference has been about and in support of what I have for 17 years considered the "purist" form of AA - alcoholics carrying a message of experience strength and hope from the Big Book to other alcoholics. Loving me until I could love myself. Understanding the privilege of sacrifice and the blessing of service.

I chaired this conference in the past and, as a result, have been on the board for several years.

Last year, some "issues" I'd seen in the conference had compelled me to suggest an inventory of the board and take a serious look at the direction we were headed in. Based on the response to that and several other "clues", it was obvious that it was time for me to rotate off this board - my contribution was no longer needed or wanted.

I'd intended to resign in September but realized that the only reason I was going to wait until then was that my ego might be better stroked at that board meeting rather than the one held at the conference.

I'm profoundly sad by the passing of this opportunity but am also grateful for the changes that this service has offered in me. One more time, it is clear that I could not have "gotten here from there" if I'd not been engaged in this effort with these people. It was not my design or plan...

Anyway, now I'm free from this obligation and that might free up a few more minutes in my life for the next thing. I wonder what that will be?

God is good...

4 comments:

steveroni said...

Humility, Ed...does it grow on you? Or do you have to work at it? I'm not sure about humility.

I know God is in charge. I do "humble" quite well--when I'm sleeping!

Mary Christine said...

Its sad to move on from the things we've been attached to - but good to realize when we need to.

Carol said...

Life, a series of hellos and goodbyes. It sounds like you did the right thing.

Syd said...

I think that you knew the answer to when...and did what felt right to you. I'm sure that there are other things in store for you.