Recovery’s Greatest Hits

I’m planning on attending the next World Service Convention, and I hope you plan to attend too.

I was so grateful to attend World Service Conventions in Cleveland, Ohio, in 2013 and Boston, Massachusetts, in 2016, and I’m sure the next Convention will be equally rewarding for my recovery.

The 2013 Convention was “right in my backyard” since I’m in Region Five. I was able to see my regional OA family, and many of us gave service to make that Convention possible. I’d never been to a World Service Convention before, and it certainly was beyond my wildest dreams.

We chartered a bus to pick up OA members in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio, so we not only had four days of recovery at Convention but also rolling meetings all the way there and back.

The theme for the 2013 Convention was “Recovery to Rock our World.” During the opening session, we watched a parade of flags of all nations with OA members. There were eighty-four excellent speakers, and they shared on the Steps, Traditions, Concepts, and a wide variety of other recovery topics. Rock and roll songs inspired many topic titles, such as “You Are the Sunshine of My Life: Sunlight of the Spirit.” There was the traditional banquet, skit, keynote speaker, and a dance—we are not a glum lot! Many of us also visited a famous rock and roll museum while we were there.

The 2013 Convention took three years of planning, and it certainly was a memorable experience for me.

I was also blessed to attend the 2016 Convention. The theme, “Recovery: The Trail to Freedom,” was inspired by local history. Yes, for me, being abstinent and working the OA program is freedom.

I was honored to give service in the opening skit—a flash mob. What fun! There were seventy-five excellent speakers and the main sessions, with keynote speakers, a banquet, and a dance. Many of us also toured the city’s historical sights.

I bought all the recordings from both of these Conventions, 157 hours of recovery from all over the world. I love listening to them over and over. I play them in my car if I can’t find an OA phone meeting to attend. With so many choices, I could hardly decide what topics I wanted to hear live. But with recordings, I could hear all of them.

I’m really looking forward to attending our next Convention, both to see the OA friends I already know and to make new OA friends.

This is an opportunity you won’t want to miss! The next one won’t be for five more years! Hope to see you!

— Anonymous