I left Texas a Friday afternoon and boarded a plane to Denver Colorado. I was going to attend my first LifeRing conference. I've been involved with secular sobriety and LifeRing since about 1994 when I heard about it from my job with the Texas prison system and about the same time I first gained access to the Internet. I convene a meeting in Cedar Park Texas, which is attended regularly by about 4 or 5 people, but other than the people I've met in Cedar Park, I had never had any face-to-face contact with members of Lifering. I was met at the airport by a bright faced young lady named Anna who told me she had only been out of treatment for about six months and that she had a passion for mountain bikes. She said it had been rough, but said the support she had gotten from her support groups and treatment counselors had made a huge difference. I believe Anna when she told me about early sobriety being difficult, but to me, a stranger, she literally exuded life.

Anna dropped me off at my hotel and gave me directions so that I could walk to the conference which was about three blocks away. It was about an hour until the session started, so I laid down for a little while, and then got up and started my trek to the Unitarian Church where the reception was being held. I had walked a little way when I decided I should look around to get my bearings and who should I see driving up but Anna! She asked me if I was lost and if I wanted a ride. I told her I probably was lost and I would appreciate a ride. I climbed in her truck and she drove around the corner and said we're here.

We went into the church, and there were about 25 people standing around talking in small groups. This is the type situation I always dread. I don't think I'm very good at making small talk and so I usually can't wait until this type of situation is over. I wandered over and talked briefly to two gentlemen, one from Denver and one from Arizona. We talked about the weather in three states for a few minutes, during which I began to wonder what I was going to talk about after the weather and then I spotted a familiar face, Marty Nicolaus. Knowing that he wouldn't recognize me in person, even though we've known each other almost 15 years, I just walked up and stood next to him. He was talking about Lifering, something I'm sure he does a lot, when the person he was talking to asked him to tell the story of how LifeRing started. I figured this might be a fairly long story so before he could start I interrupted and told him who I was. He looked excited and so did I. guess, and before he knew it I had said to him "give me a hug". Now we don't usually hug in our group down in Texas and I don't know if they do in other places but I figured when you have known someone for 15 years and have never laid eyes on them and you meet, it's time for a hug.

That broke the ice and we all talked for a good while and then it was decided that we would go to eat at a neighborhood coffeehouse called the Gypsy House Café. We all went in and sat on sofas around a coffee table and ate sandwiches and drank coffee (great coffee) and talked like old friends. And that's what we were, friends in sobriety and comrades in recovery. I can't speak for anyone else, but I had a great time and now have some great memories of meeting my new friends in LifeRing.