EXPECT A MIRACLE

Not being a parent myself (I became a step–parent when I was a few years clean) I had never considered the need for childcare at meetings.  Five years ago I moved and found my local NA group was a women’s meeting across the road from my new home and I took on a commitment there.  At the time I was struggling to get pregnant myself and, after several medical interventions, was beginning to lose hope that it would ever happen for me.  The meeting had a crèche facility – the first I had ever come across – and I was deeply moved by the support the women at this meeting gave each other.  I realised how much I had taken for granted being able to get to a meeting whenever I wanted or needed to.  I realised that I had been given so much by NA and that by being of service to parents who were struggling I could find a welcome distraction from my own longing for a child.  I started sponsoring a couple of women who were single parents, and realising that suggesting ‘get to a meeting’ was not always as straight forward as it sounds and that there were very real difficulties for parents in this position.  I found myself babysitting for a couple of newcomers so that they could get to meetings.  When a newcomer shared that she hadn’t wanted to go to the meeting, but her children insisted on coming because they had enjoyed the crèche so much the week before, I knew for certain that the crèche facility was helping the meeting to truly fulfil its primary purpose.

A few of us started a new meeting at 10am in the morning – the idea being that parents could drop their kids off at nursery or school and then get to a meeting.  At the first meeting there were two babies and two toddlers.  We decided to start a crèche there too, which would be available to both men and women.  With the support of the NW ASC who provided us with enough funds to pay a baby–sitter for 3 months the meeting is now fully self–supporting and the crèche and the meeting are thriving.  When I was asked to join the newly formed Parents and Carers Committee I was really happy to get involved.  Now, as I come to the end of my time as chairperson of the regional committee I find myself 6 months pregnant and fully aware of something that many doctors, social workers & probation officers don’t see until they’ve had some involvement with NA – Miracles Happen!

I have had the privilege in my recovery to see the NA fellowship grow from a few meetings a week to over a 100 in the London area and I look forward to seeing it grow further with meetings with child support available ‘every day of the week.’

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