Gratitude is an Action.
“Our groups, our areas, and A.A. as a whole will not function unless our services are sufficient and our bills are paid.”
~ Bill W. 1957
Gratitude Month: How will your group celebrate this November?
Gratitude Month is a time set aside for us to express thanks to the fellowship. In the Bay Area, Gratitude Month is traditionally practiced by passing the 7th Tradition basket a second time, with the entirety of the collection from the second basket being contributed to Central Office. However, groups around the country and around the world each have their own customs for celebrating Gratitude Month, including holding Tradition discussion meetings in place of the regular format, or by making “gratitude” the discussion topic during the month.
The History of Gratitude month dates back to the 1940s when the General Service Board hosted small “Gratitude Dinners.” 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.
There is no proscribed manner for celebrating Gratitude Month. Groups are encouraged to come up with their own imaginative ways to foster an attitude of gratitude among the fellowship. Box 459, the General Service Office’s newsletter, put it so well: “How about trying something new, something your group has never done before, which will make the members’ gratitude more tangible and real?” Here in the Bay Area we’ve always been good about finding new and inventive ways to do things, so let’s be creative!
PLEASE NOTE: for your Group or Individual contribution, include “Gratitude Month” on the memo line of your check or in the Notes field online, so that it will be properly recorded.
