Borrow, read, return. Borrow, read, return. Purchase, read, pass along. Purchase, read, pass along. That was how I read Lifeline magazine for my first few years of program. Then I started buying issues from my intergroup and holding on to them.
The oldest issue I still have is from November 1980, a copy I’ve kept since it includes a Share It I had submitted.
Sometime in the 90s, I finally decided to become a subscriber and hold on to the issues. In the late 2000s and early 2010s, I began to donate older issues to my group’s literature table and newcomer packets. I also became the Lifeline representative for my home group.
These days, when I volunteer to lead a meeting, it’s usually a literature meeting. Members always smile because they know I will be using Lifeline and the sharing that ensues is always enjoyable.
Each morning, I read two pages from the current month’s publication, plus two pages from two past publications. Seeing how the magazine has changed through the years—sizes, fonts, and from matte paper with two colors to a lovely, shining, fully colorful magazine—makes me think about how my program is ever changing for the better.
Acceptance may be the answer to all my problems, but it has been hard to accept the end of the print Lifeline era. I am forever grateful to all the authors for sharing their experience, strength, and hope. I am especially grateful to the Lifeline “family,” including publication managers, editors, graphic designers, and assistants, for their endless professional love given to produce our meeting on the go. Lifeline has truly been a written fellowship from around the world.
—Ellen
