WHAT I LEARNED: 1. I knew this was Al-Anon’s first book that was printed in 1955 & that Lois Wilson intended this to be our “Big Book.”  What I didn’t know is that the first draft was just going to be a pamphlet & now this re-issue from 2000 is actually several versions of this book in one.  If I wanted to read the original 1955 text only, it’s the first 100 pages.  The remaining 100 pages are all the revisions throughout the years that are listed under Appendix II – & yes even the appendixes have footnotes!  With such a heavily annotated book, it reminded me of my college days where I wasn’t so much as reading, but studying changes made through history.

2. I love the hand-written inscription by Lois on page 7.  It’s like she signed this book just for me.  If you don’t plan on reading this book, at least seek out this one page because it’s really a message from our co-founder to any member – so it’s for you too!

3. Apparently I’ve been saying the Serenity Prayer wrong for quite some time – but that’s ok, because in 1960 it was added to the introduction incorrectly, so I’m not the only one.  🙃  Page 104 shows the incorrect words underlined.

4. Lastly, one of my favorite parts is the personal stories section where I’m reminded that in this program I need to focus on “being” instead of “getting.” 🧘

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**UPDATE (8/14/22): You can see early versions of “The Al-Anon Family Groups” (B-5) in my videos for the years 1955 & 1960 from my CAL Timeline board on my “CAL Chat” Pinterest account.