• AA Literature
    • A.A. Big Book
      • A.A. Big Book (164 Pages)
      • Big Book Stories Edition 1
      • Big Book Stories Edition 2
    • A.A. Preamble
    • Singleness of Purpose
    • A.A. 12 Steps
    • A.A. 12 Traditions
    • A.A. 12 Concepts
    • 12 Traditions Checklist
    • 9th Step Promises (Pg 83/84)
    • The Serenity Prayer
    • Principles Of The Program
    • I Am Responsible
    • The Page Of Prayers
  • A.A. History
    • The Emmanuel Movement
    • The Washingtonians
    • Magazine & Newspaper Articles
    • Narrative Of A.A. Timeline
    • Timelines In A.A. History
    • Manuscript Of A.A. World History – Bob P.
    • Place And Things In AA History
    • Who’s Who In A.A. History
    • Big Book Story Authors
    • Writings Of A.A. Members
  • Influential Books
    • A.A. Big Book (164 Pages)
    • Big Book Stories Edition 1
    • Big Book Stories Edition 2
    • Mel B’s Library
    • Dick B.’s Library
    • The Greatest Thing In The World
    • The Varieties Of Religious Experiences
    • In His Steps
    • As A Man Thinketh
    • When Man Listens
    • John Barleycorn
    • The Confessions Of Saint Augustine (13 Books)
    • Religion, Clergy & A.A.
  • Free Stuff
    • Free Audiobooks & Speaker Tapes
    • Videos Of Bill Wilson
    • The PDF Project (1000+ PDF’s)
    • Free AA Apps For iPhone
    • Free AA Apps For Android
    • Free 12 Step Toolkit App
  • AA Literature
    • A.A. Big Book
      • A.A. Big Book (164 Pages)
      • Big Book Stories Edition 1
      • Big Book Stories Edition 2
    • A.A. Preamble
    • Singleness of Purpose
    • A.A. 12 Steps
    • A.A. 12 Traditions
    • A.A. 12 Concepts
    • 12 Traditions Checklist
    • 9th Step Promises (Pg 83/84)
    • The Serenity Prayer
    • Principles Of The Program
    • I Am Responsible
    • The Page Of Prayers
  • A.A. History
    • The Emmanuel Movement
    • The Washingtonians
    • Magazine & Newspaper Articles
    • Narrative Of A.A. Timeline
    • Timelines In A.A. History
    • Manuscript Of A.A. World History – Bob P.
    • Place And Things In AA History
    • Who’s Who In A.A. History
    • Big Book Story Authors
    • Writings Of A.A. Members
  • Influential Books
    • A.A. Big Book (164 Pages)
    • Big Book Stories Edition 1
    • Big Book Stories Edition 2
    • Mel B’s Library
    • Dick B.’s Library
    • The Greatest Thing In The World
    • The Varieties Of Religious Experiences
    • In His Steps
    • As A Man Thinketh
    • When Man Listens
    • John Barleycorn
    • The Confessions Of Saint Augustine (13 Books)
    • Religion, Clergy & A.A.
  • Free Stuff
    • Free Audiobooks & Speaker Tapes
    • Videos Of Bill Wilson
    • The PDF Project (1000+ PDF’s)
    • Free AA Apps For iPhone
    • Free AA Apps For Android
    • Free 12 Step Toolkit App
home/Alcoholics Anonymous/Grapevine Articles/Grapevine Reproduction

EDITORIAL : The Shape Of Things To Come

115 views 0 aa

You are on page 2 of the 1st AA Grapevine ever printed

Copyright © The A.A. Grapevine, Inc., June 1944

EDITORIAL:
The Shape of Things to Come

In the book Alcoholics Anonymous there is a chapter called “A Vision for You”. Wandering through it recently, my eye was caught by this startling paragraph written a short five years ago. “Someday we hope that every alcoholic who journeys will find a Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous at his destination. To some extent, this is already true. Some of us are salesmen and go about. Little clusters of twos and threes and fives of us have sprung up in other communities through contact with our two large centers—–” Rubbing my eyes I looked again. A lump came into my throat. “Only five years,” I thought. “Then but two large centers—little clusters of twos and threes — travelers who hoped one day to find us at every destination.” Could it be that only yesterday this was just a hope—those little clusters of twos and threes, those little beacons so anxiously watched as they flickered, but never went out. And today—hundreds of centers shedding their warm illumination upon the lives of thousands, lighting the dark shoals where the stranded and hopeless lie breaking up—those fingers of light already stretching to our beachheads in other lands. Now comes another lighted lamp—this little newspaper called “The Grapevine”. May its rays of hope and experience ever fall upon the current of our A.A. life and one day illumine every dark corner of this alcoholic world. The aspirations of its editors, contributors, and readers could well be voiced in the last words of “A Vision for You”. “Abandon yourself to God as you understand God. Admit your faults to Him and your fellows. Clear away the wreckage of your past. Give freely of what you find, and join us. We shall be with you, in the Fellowship of The Spirit, and you will surely meet some of us as you trudge the Road of Happy Destiny. May God bless you and keep you—until then.“

Bill

wives are—they’ve got to feel they’re the most influential factor in a husband’s life. Point is, during all the years my wife tried to get me to quit I just got worse—then I catch up with A.A. and Zingo—I get completely dried up and obviously like the procedure. So I’m afraid she feels there must be something, lacking in my affection or why couldn’t I have quit just for her? It’s obvious at the meetings that others in A.A. have been a lot smarter about this angle and maybe can help with a couple of suggestions. Jim D.

Dear Grapevine: I’ve been in A.A. a year and a month and I’m so happy, so glad at last, to be alive. A year and a month ago I wanted to die—although I didn’t do anything about it except go on drinking, which is a pretty good way. My career, for I happen to be a writer, was at a standstill, and my way of living, my habits and emotions were as distorted as the view I used to see of myself at the bottom of a glass. Now, very, very slowly, I am becoming the person I’m supposed to be. Normal habits and pleasures come back slowly. Things like enjoying food, gardening, going to the theatre, spending an evening with friends while conscious—all these habits had to be reformed, like a paralytic learning the re-use of his limbs. Just the other day I said to myself; “All right—you’re fifteen years behind in your life. Fifteen years behind in your career. Thank God you came into A.A. when you did. Now you can begin, slowly, and get your life back.” Perhaps some of you know this experience of discouraged impatience. Perhaps you’ve been sober a certain number of months and are beginning to say, “Well, so what?” Don’t go out and get drunk, as I came so near doing a month ago. Whether this let-down period between first getting truly sober and getting yourself adjusted to life and living. Work like a beaver with an extra spurt of effort in, for, and with A.A. That’s the solution. I am sure of it. I had to write this because I’m so grateful again to A.A. for seeing me through these “growing pains”. Felicia G.

P o i n t s  of  V i e w:

The Grapevine welcomes letters from its reader-members. Please survey, however, the size of the sheet and keep your notes brief, because we’d like to print a fair cross-section, with as little cutting as possible.

Dear Grapevine: I was surely glad to learn that A.A. is planning to publish a “house- organ”. I think a lot of newer members, like myself, who might incline to be shy about

making personal contacts for help with their
individual problems will welcome this means
of communicating with experienced A.A.s.
For example, I can hardly buttonhole a
fellow-member at a meeting and bluntly say :
“My wife is jealous of you!” Yet that’s pretty
much the situation which bothers me quite a
lot. What I mean is that my Missus doesn’t
understand. She’s delighted with the results
of the past six months, but you know-how

====xOx====

INTERGROUP MEETING IN MANHATTAN; Capitol
Hotel, 51st Street and 8th Avenue, Walnut
Room; every Tuesday evening at 8:30. Room
open from 5:30. For all other meetings in-
formation watch group news on our Metro-
politan Circuit page, and check each issue for
changes of time and location.

Copyright © The A.A. Grapevine, Inc., June 1944
In practicing our Traditions, The AA Grapevine, Inc. has neither endorsed nor are they affiliated with Silkworth.net.
The Grapevine®, and AA Grapevine® are registered trademarks of The AA Grapevine, Inc.

Tags:aabig bookalcoholics anonymousgrapevine reproduction

Was this helpful?

Yes  No
Related Articles
  • Page 8 Of The First AA Grapevine
  • Along The Metropolitan Circuit
  • The Pleasures Of Reading
  • Mail Call For All A.A.’s In The Armed Forces
  • Central Office Notes
  • Alcoholics Anonymous
Popular Articles
  • Alcoholics Anonymous History In Your Area – San Diego Area
  • Alcoholics Anonymous History In Your Area – Dublin, Ireland
  • 12 Steps For Alcoholics – Richard Lake
  • Alcoholics Anonymous History In Your Area – Panama City, Florida – Fireside Group
  • Alcoholics Anonymous History In Your Area – Port St. Joe, Serenity Group Florida
KB Categories
  • Literature 12
    • Big Book 18
    • Big Book Stories Edition 1 29
    • Big Book Stories Edition 2 40
    • A.A. Prayers 10
    • The Big Book Concordance 27
    • The Original Manuscript Of AA. 16
    • The First A.A. Pamphlet 8
  • Writings Of A.A. Members 0
    • Bill W. 19
      • Let's Ask Bill W. 41
      • Bill W. On The 12 Traditions 16
      • Letters – To Jim Burwell From Bill Wilson 18
      • Letters – To Bill Wilson From Jim Burwell 3
      • Talks At General Service Conferences 31
        • Alcoholic Foundation 4
      • Grapevine Articles Of Bill W. 33
        • Grapevine – 12 Traditions Of A.A. 16
        • Grapevine – 12 Steps Of AA 2
    • Lois W. 7
    • Doctor Bob 10
    • Henry G. (Hank P. 2
    • Clarence S. 6
    • Bill D. 2
    • Ebby Thacher 2
    • Others 13
      • Letters – To Jim Burwell From Bill Wilson 18
      • Letters – To Bill Wilson From Jim Burwell 3
  • Al-Anon 14
  • Research & Study 13
    • Dr. William Duncan Silkworth M.D. 11
      • Grapevine Articles Of Dr. William Silkworth 5
    • A Narrative Of Timeline Of A.A. History 33
    • Timelines In A.A. History 14
    • Timelines Of Historic A.A. Events 1
    • Manuscript Of A.A. World History, 1985 – By Bob P. 23
    • Magazine And Newspaper Articles 148
    • People In A.A.'s History 27
    • Place And Things In AA History 13
    • The Washingtonians 31
      • Grapevine Articles Of The Washingtonians 15
    • The Emmanuel Movement 12
    • Big Book Story Author's 78
    • Whos's Who In A.A.'s History 23
    • Big Book Changes 1
    • Tiebout Papers 6
    • AA Growth 72
    • Charlie Bishop Jr. 3
    • A.A. History – News Articles 8
      • Cleveland Plain Dealer 8
    • Gresham's Law And Alcoholics Anonymous 5
  • The PDF Project (1000+ PDF's 1
    • The Big Book (179 Articles 6
    • Bill W. (172 Articles 4
    • Dr. Bob (24 Articles 1
    • General Service Conference (157 Articles 6
    • Grapevine (51 Articles 5
    • History (437 Articles 52
  • Audio Books 0
    • Joe & Charlie 34
    • AA Big Book Audiobook 14
    • Sandy B. – Saturday Morning Live 12
    • AA Speaker Bill W. 100
    • Videos 15
    • International Conventions – 2015 184
    • AA Speaker Chuck C. 111
    • AA Speakers Clergy 220
    • AA Speakers Doctor's 129
    • AA Speaker Sandy B. 74
    • AA Assorted Speakers 195
  • Other Articles 29
    • Printed Book Reviews 26
    • Religion, Clergy & A.A. 108
  • Influential Books 0
    • Big Book Of AA 21
    • Personal Stories – Edition 1 29
    • Personal Stories – Edition 2 40
    • Mel B.'s Library 56
      • The Four Absolutes 17
    • Dick B.'s Library 127
    • The Greatest Thing In The world 5
    • In His Steps 32
    • The Varieties Of Religious Experiences 17
    • As A Man Thinketh 8
    • When Man Listens 6
    • The Confessions Of Saint Augustine 5
      • Book One 20
      • Book Two 12
      • Book Three 14
      • Book Four 18
      • Book Five 16
      • Book Six 18
      • Book Seven 23
      • Book Eight 14
      • Book Nine 15
      • Book Ten 45
      • Book Eleven 33
      • Book Twelve 34
      • Book Thirteen 40
    • Other Books 9
    • John Barleycorn 39
  • Grapevine Articles 4
    • Grapevine Reproduction 8
    • Additional A.A. Grapevine Articles 20
    • Big Book Updates 13
    • Other Grapevine Articles 33
    • Grapevine Articles – Interviews 6
  • The Detroit Pamphlet 4
  • A.A. History – General 4
AA Anonymity Statement

Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions.

Please respect this and treat in confidence who you see and what you hear.

About Silkworth.net
  • Privacy Policy
  • Legal Disclaimer
  • Contact Us
External Links
  • Free 12 Step Toolkit App
  • Free AA Apple Apps
  • Free AA Android Apps
  • Silkworth’s YouTube Channel
  • Alcoholics Anonymous (AAWS Inc.)
  • AA Grapevine, International Journal of Alcoholics Anonymous
  • Al-Anon Family (Includes Alateen)
Newsletter Subscription





  • © 2020 silkworth.net. All Rights Reserved