“Why at this point in history, has God chosen to communicate His healing grace to so many of us? From the beginning, communication in A.A. has been no ordinary transmission of helpful ideas and attitudes. Because of our kinship in suffering, and because our common means of deliverance are effective for ourselves only when constantly carried to others, our channels of contact have always been charged with the language of the heart.”

When COVID 19 hit almost two years ago, I was not sure how I would handle not getting to meetings. I am one of those people of a certain age who considers the computer a glorified typewriter. In my years in the program, I have gone a few months without getting to a full meeting for one reason of another and I knew the consequences of missing out on my social/spiritual life in the program.

I had never heard of zoom till about February of last year when I heard that our future meetings would be on zoom. On What? How do you get that? Is it in my computer? What do you mean I can get it on my phone? I’m very open minded until I come across some new-fangled idea that trips me up and I’m in a tizzy till I calm down and then allow myself to be taught what I need to know. I still owe my homegroup some money as I haven’t figured out Venmo and that’s probably a trust issue come to think of it.

So, I got the number and a member to set it up for me and, with that, a whole new world wide web of alcoholics in recovery. One newcomer told me that in one day he had been to meetings in Australia, Germany, England, and Ireland.

In the mental health field, there was talk of the increase of alcohol and drug abuse. I made the assumption it would only get worse as none of those folk could find their way onto zoom. So much for my speed to ass-u-me, Yes, I made an ass of myself and I am owning it. It was as joyful to see and hear a newcomer on zoom as it was to see them in person. They came just as they do to any meeting -- timid, concerned, not knowing, and trusting. (More than I did when I came to A.A.) And they came back.

God chose to communicate Her grace through zoom and without my permission. It was wonderfully awesome and delightful to see these new people take a risk and tell people they could only see as a stamp on a screen that they wanted help. Some broke down and cried. Emotions ran high and participants shared their first day at a meeting. No matter where we were from. And that was another thing. In one meeting, there were Alaskans, Canadians, Americans, Irish (of course they are everywhere) and all of us sharing that common bond of emotional pain and the growth that comes from living the program one day at a time as we keep coming back no matter what.

Alcoholics Anonymous grew through word of mouth, telephone calls, twelve-step calls, articles in a paper, and as the media moved into high gear with the speed of computers and now all the electronic devices, AA has not changed; we still communicate our experience, strength and hope, our pain and joy, our hope and vision even if we are sitting in a room by ourselves talking to someone on the other side of the globe. We all speak the same language of the heart even though it sounds different with a good brogue.

During hurricane IDA I joined the multitude in escaping to wherever. We landed in Birmingham and I found a meeting. I also found more than that. I was shown - of course by one a hundred years younger than I – how to download an app that gives me every meeting around no matter where I am. Now I have no excuse for not being at a meeting, they are literally at my fingertips. Now, it’s not a cup of coffee and a cigarette that brings a meeting to life; it’s an App (??), a zoom number, and the language of the heart comes through loud and clear. Gut Orientated Dialogue. I am not sure if I want to be around when we begin to pass it on telepathically, but then God only knows.