While preparing to attend my first Al-Anon Information Office Board Meeting as the newly elected Chairperson, I was careful to leave early enough so I would be on time. A growth opportunity presented itself and I ended up in the biggest traffic jam I have ever seen.

The radiator in my truck reached its boiling point about the same time I did. That was because 30 minutes before and a quarter-mile back two of my passengers, Patience and Tolerance, jumped out of the truck. I guess they didn't like my company.

Suddenly I noticed bubbles floating across the hood of my motionless truck. In the middle of a traffic nightmare I followed the path of bubbles to its source—the woman in the car next to mine. As I watched her dip the wand into a bottle to blow another batch of bubbles, I had to laugh at myself.

An excerpt from page 91 in Courage to Change flashed through my mind. "An important part of the serious business of recovery involves recognizing our need to have fun—to take a trip, fly a kite, attend a concert, make noise, race down the street, or blow bubbles." Since I didn't have a bottle of bubbles, I just enjoyed watching the woman blow hers. When traffic started moving again, Patience and Tolerance climbed back into my truck.

I arrived at the meeting on time, shared the bubble story with Board members, and smiled the rest of the night. I have always wondered if that woman was an Al-Anon member, or if it was just another one of those "God things."

By Jerry P., Texas
The Forum, January 2005

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