Bill and Ebby Work the Steps

Today is a special day in AA history. On this day, December 14, 1934, Ebby Thatcher came to visit his old drinking buddy, Bill Wilson, and in Bill and Lois’s Brooklyn kitchen Ebby gave his testimony and took Bill Wilson through the Oxford Group conversion process. This is what, today in AA, we call steps 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8. It was Ebby’s gift to Bill and the gift that has been passed on to all of us.

In the Oxford Group one could take all of those steps in one evening: The inventory, the confession, the examination, and then making the list of people harmed. Then encouraged by a sponsor new members went out to make restitution—later called amends. Ebby was Bill’s sponsor. It began here December 14th—one drunk helping another. Bill was willing. He saw something in Ebby. He wanted what Ebby had.  From this start we get Bill W. committed to sobriety.

 From a cold flat in Brooklyn to the rest of the world.  We know that Ebby later struggled. But he was well used by God. Thank you Ebby.