Welcome to April. It’s definitely spring which is typically known as the time of new beginnings, freshness is all around, bringing new flowers, warmer weather and a chance to get outside.

During this month of April, let’s take a refresher on Step Four, Tradition Four and Concept Four.

Step Four: Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. Therefore, we started upon a personal inventory. This was Step Four. A business which takes no regular inventory usually goes broke. Taking a commercial inventory is a fact-finding and a fact-facing process. It is an effort to discover the truth about the stock-in-trade. One object is to disclose damaged or unsalable goods, to get rid of them promptly and without regret. If the owner of the business is to be successful, he cannot fool himself about values. We did exactly the same thing with our lives. We took stock honestly. First, we searched out the flaws in our make-up which caused our failure. Being convinced that self, manifested in various ways, was what had defeated us, we considered it’s common manifestations. — Reprinted from Alcoholics Anonymous© (page 64), with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.

Tradition Four: Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or A.A. as a whole. In a way, the Fourth Tradition is like the Fourth Step: It suggests that the A.A. group should take an honest inventory of itself, asking about each of its independently planned actions, “Would this break any Tradition?” Like the individual member who chooses to make the Steps his or her guide toward happy sobriety, the wise group recognizes that the Traditions are not hindering technicalities — they are proven guides toward the chief objective of all A.A. groups. — Reprinted from The Twelve Traditions Illustrated (page 5), with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.

Concept Four: At all responsible levels, we ought to maintain a traditional “Right of Participation,” allowing a voting representation in reasonable proportion to the responsibility that each must discharge. The principle of “Right of Participation” is built into the General Service Conference through the Conference Charter. Voting members include not only delegates, but also the trustees, and the directors and staff members of A.A. World Services (i.e., G.S.O.) and the A.A. Grapevine. – Reprinted from A.A. Service Manual/Twelve Concepts for World Services (page C-12), with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.

Grapevine’s Audio Project

Be a part of Grapevine’s Audio Project! A.A. Grapevine is collecting up to 7-minute long stories from the Fellowship in the form of audio recordings. Share as you would in a meeting — or pick a topic of your own choosing, from making amends to working a particular Step.

If your audio story is accepted by the A.A. Grapevine editorial staff, Grapevine will publish it in the form of a YouTube playlist or on another media platform.

Note that Grapevine does not collect recordings from speakers at A.A. meetings and audio stories should be roughly seven minutes in length.

Two Ways To Share Your Audio Story

1. The Audio Project Voicemail System
   • Call the voicemail system at 559-726-1216.
   • Press 1 to hear helpful tips and to begin recording your story after the tone.
   • When you’re finished recording, Press #, then you will be prompted to Press 1 to save your story.
   • After that, Press 2 to give the Grapevine permission to use your story.
2. Do It Yourself
   • Use your own digital recorder, smartphone or other mobile devices. WAV or MP3 files will be accepted.
   • Send your recording to the email address webcoord@aagrapevine.org.

Listen To Stories By Members

If you want to share your experience, strength and hope with the Grapevine, but are unsure of what to share, listen to these audiotapes made by other AA members. You can find them at the Grapevine’s designated YouTube channel. Here are three: Sponsorship, Voices of Women and From Relapse to Recovery.

Mark Your Calendars

Upcoming events that may be of interest to you.

• Southern Delaware Intergroup Monthly Meeting — Join us on April 7 at 6PM via Zoom, meeting ID: 821 1107 1538, Passcode: 186548. Our intergroup exists to support the A.A. Groups in Sussex County, DE in their common purpose of carrying the A.A. message those individuals who feel they may have a problem with alcohol and coordinating services that are difficult for the individual groups to execute.

• Delaware Area 12 Annual Convention — Held May 20th through May 22nd at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center, this jam-packed weekend will feature plenty of speakers, activities and fellowship. To learn more about the convention and hotel accommodations, please visit the Delaware Area 12 Convention website.

• Founders’ Day 2022 — Back live and in-person, Founders’ Day will be held June 10, 11 & 12 at the Akron University. The annual gathering is held on the weekend closest to June 10, which marks the day in 1935 when A.A. co-founder, Dr. Bob took his last drink in Akron, Ohio. For more information and to register, see the Founders Day 2022 Flyer and visit Founders’ Day.org.

• North/South Virtual Special Forum — Tagged as Beyond Language, Culture & Geography: Sobriety Within Everybody’s Reach, the forum running on July 16 from 11:00 am – 7:00 pm, will stretch the virtual hand of A.A. from Canada and the United States to the furthest reaches of South America. The main objective is to bring members throughout our home “zone” together for direct sharing of experience, strength and hope. More information can be found on our event page and this flyer. Any questions can be sent to northsouthconnections@aa.org.