What happened to your sponsor, Ebby?
Answer
It
was Ebby who brought me the message that
saved my life and uncounted thousands of
others.
Because of gratitude and old friendship, my
wife Lois and I invited Ebby to live at our
home shortly after I sobered up. The son of
a well-to-do family in Albany, he had never
learned any profession so he was broke and
had to begin all over. These were difficult
circumstances, naturally. Ebby stayed with
us something like a year and a half. Being
intent on getting re-established in life, he
took little interest in helping other
alcoholics. Little by little, he commenced
the rationalization we have seen so often.
He began to say that if he had the right
romance and the right job then things would
be okay. At length, he fell by the wayside.
He would not mind if I tell this - it is a
part of his story today.
For many years, my old friend Ebby was on
the wagon and off. Sometimes he could stay
sober for a year or more. He tried living
with Lois and me for another considerable
period but apparently this was of no help.
Maybe we actually hindered him. As A.A.
began to grow his position became difficult.
For a long time things went from bad to
worse.
About six years ago the groups down in Texas
decided to try their hand. Ebby was shipped
non-stop to Dallas and placed in an A.A.
drying out place. In these new surroundings
in Texas, far from his old failures, he has
made a splendid recovery. Excepting for one
slip which occurred about a year after his
arrival down there he has been bone dry ever
since. This is one of the deepest
satisfactions that has ever come to me since
A.A. started and many another A.A. can say
the same. (N.C.C.A. 'Blue Book,' Vol.12,
1960)
