Here is a story that I am very fond of. I heard it many years ago at a recovery meeting around Christmas. It really made me stop and think.

There was a business man, several years in sobriety, who was taken out of town on an important business trip just days before Christmas. He needed to travel out of state, all the way to California, and would not be able to return until Christmas Eve. He hadn't done any Christmas shopping for his family yet, and was a little concerned, but decided he could get his business out of the way in the morning, and do his shopping in the afternoon before his flight back.

It would work out perfect, he thought, because an old "sponsor" friend of his was now living in that part of California. He called up the friend and explained that he would be in town for the day, and could he meet up to do some last minute Christmas shopping and visiting. The sponsor friend met him at the airport, waited for him to finish his business, and then took him around town to finish his shopping. Everything fell in to place perfectly. His shopping was even finished a few hours early. And so they both decided to sit down at a nearby restaurant for a bite to eat before the return flight.

After a great meal and a wonderful visit, they headed out to the airport to make his scheduled flight. As the business man was checking his baggage, he noticed that he didn't have any of the presents with him. Oh No, he thought ! What will I do now ? It's too late to buy more presents before the flight, and when I finally get back home everything will be closed. I won't have any presents for my family on Christmas morning.

But soon, the man realized that he must have left the presents at the restaurant. I was having such a good time with the visit, I just forgot them, he thought.

Looking at his watch, the sponsor friend suggested they had enough time to hurry back to the restaurant and see if the presents were still there. I hope they're still there, thought the man. What if someone took them. What if .. but the sponsor friend just reassured him, and drove back to the restaurant.

When they arrived at the restaurant, they found it closed. Oh No, thought the man. The owner has closed up and went home for Christmas Eve. Now I won't have any presents for sure.

But, again, the sponsor friend, quietly reassured him. "I happen to know the owner," he said. "I'll just call him up and see if he can come unlock his restaurant so we can look for your presents."

And so the owner drove all the way back to his restaurant, on Christmas Eve, with sincere willingness to help out his friend.

When the doors were opened the business man rushed over to the table where they had been sitting, and there underneath the table, just where he left them, were the Christmas presents for his family.

The business man sighed a big relief, and remarked to his sponsor friend, "You know, that's how the program works ! When everything just falls into place like that."

Again, his sponsor friend, quitely reassured him, "No, my friend. The program works when the presents aren't there."

• Added: January 25, 2000
• Source: Heard at a recovery meeting

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