For many decades now, A.A. has formally set aside all of November as Gratitude Month, a time to express our collective gratitude for our individual sobriety.  This month Sussex County AA members will gather on the 18^th for a Gratitude Breakfast. For more information about the breakfast, please see the article below.

The history of gratitude month dates back to the 1940s when the General Service Board hosted small “Gratitude Dinners.” In the November 1949 Grapevine, Bill W. suggested Thanksgiving week be adopted as Tradition Week during which special attention will be paid to the Traditions.

By the 1960s they had become larger, more elaborate “Gratitude Luncheons.” The motivation behind these gatherings was to express personal gratitude for sobriety and appreciation to our professional friends for their articles, books, radio and T.V. interviews relating to A.A. over the past year.

Though the luncheons were discontinued in 1968, the concept of gratitude persisted and expanded in scope, marking the occasion with special contributions to G.S.O.

Step, Tradition and Concept 11

Taken together, the Steps, Traditions and Concepts embody what are known as the three legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous: Recovery, Unity, and Service. As November is the 11th month, let’s take a closer look at Step 11, Tradition 11, and Concept 11.

Step Eleven — Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. Perhaps one of the greatest rewards of meditation and prayer is the sense of belonging that comes to us. We no longer live in a completely hostile world. We are no longer lost and frightened and purposeless. The moment we catch even a glimpse of God’s will, the moment we begin to see truth, justice, and love as the real and eternal things in life, we are no longer deeply disturbed by all the seeming evidence to the contrary that surrounds us in purely human affairs. We know that God lovingly watches over us. We know that when we turn to Him, all will be well with us, here and hereafter. — Reprinted from Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions© (page 105), with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.

Tradition Eleven — Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio and films. This Tradition is a constant and practical reminder that personal ambition has no place in A.A. In it, each member becomes an active guardian of our Fellowship. — Reprinted from Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions© (page 186), with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.

Protecting anonymity is a major concern for members, who are accessing the Internet in ever-growing numbers. When we use digital media, we are responsible for our own anonymity and that of others. When we post, text, or blog, we should assume that we are publishing at the public level. When we break our anonymity in these forums, we may inadvertently break the anonymity of others. For more information, see the A.A. pamphlet Understanding Anonymity, the October 2010 issue of A.A. Grapevine on Anonymity on the Internet, and the A.A. Guidelines on the Internet.

Concept Eleven — While the Trustees hold final responsibility for A.A.’s world service administration, they should always have the assistance of the best possible standing committees, corporate service directors, executives, staffs, and consultants. Therefore, the composition of these underlying committees and service boards, the personal qualifications of their members, the manner of their induction into service, the systems of their rotation, the way in which they are related to each other, the special rights and duties of our executives, staffs, and consultants, together with a proper basis for the financial compensation of these special workers, will always be matters for serious care and concern. The longtime success of our General Service Board will rest not only on the capabilities of the Trustees themselves; it will depend quite as much upon the competent leadership and harmonious association of those non-Trustee committee members, corporate service directors, executives and staff members who must actively carry on A.A.’s world services. Their quality and dedication, or their lack of these characteristics, will make or break our structure of service. Our final dependency on them will always be great indeed.– Reprinted from The A.A. Service Manual combined with Twelve Concepts, 2021-2023 Edition (page c37) , with permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.

Southern Delaware Intergroup Monthly Meeting — Join us on Thursday, November 2 at 6 pm via Zoom. Meeting ID: 987-8810-5001, Passcode: 914711. Our intergroup is a resource for 12-Step work and Alcoholics Anonymous information in Southern Delaware. Please consider volunteering for a service opportunity, which includes most Intergroup committees. For more information about what each Committee does, see our Service Committees page and plan to attend our next intergroup meeting.

Gratitude Breakfast – November 18th – 8:30 am to 12 pm

Sponsored by the Southern Delaware Intergroup, the annual Gratitude Breakfast will be held again this year at the Indian River Fire Hall located on 32628 Oak Orchard Road in Millsboro.

The Gratitude Breakfast coincides with Gratitude Month — a traditional time to express our collective gratitude for our individual sobriety.

For more information, contact events@sussexaa.org

Archives Committee Meeting – November 13^th – 6:30 to 8 p.m.

The SDIAA Archives Committee meets at the Lutheran Church of Our Savior located at 20276 Bay Vista Rd, Rehoboth Beach every 2nd Monday of the month from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM. Doors open at 6:15 PM.

The mission of the Archives Committee is to collect, preserve, and protect a variety of original material containing information of permanent historical value relating to the history of A.A. in Sussex County.

For more information, send an email to archives@sussexaa.org.

What’s Your Favorite Slogan?

We have been asking for submissions for our newsletter (see article below) and our member Ann K. was kind enough to send in a submission that we are able to feature here! We asked for a favorite slogan.

“’Live and Let Live’ has helped me to go with the flow more and and let things happen more than trying to control all around me.”

Thank you Ann!

Want To Be Part of the Newsletter? We would love to hear from you and here are some topic ideas:

• How you worked a specific step.
• A favorite A.A. slogan and how it has helped you.
• How you got your first service position.
• Something your sponsor said that impacted you.

You can submit entries to support@sussexaa.org and subscribing to this Newsletter via e-mail is very easy. Simply email “subscribe” to support@sussexaa.org and you will receive the monthly email on the 1^st of each month.

This Month’s Intergroup Committee Feature

Corrections — This committee takes meetings into Sussex County correctional facilities & carries the A.A. message to the alcoholic who suffers. Security application required — Download Here. Please forward your completed form to corrections@sussexaa.org.