Last year, Francis traveled to the North Alabama Convention—home of Bill Brooks, a founding member of Narcotics Anonymous in Alabama and the author of the powerful Basic Text story “If You Want What We Have.”

While there, Francis went beyond the convention floor. He visited Bill Brooks’ home, paid his respects at his gravesite, and had a meaningful phone conversation with Bill’s widow, Bettie, who shared personal reflections on Bill’s life, service, and legacy in Narcotics Anonymous.

Francis also attended Open Minds and Miracles, the NA meeting Bill Brooks started in 1978—a living piece of NA history that continues to carry the message today.

This episode also marks a milestone: Francis’s first time presenting on an author whose story appears in the Basic Text. Upon returning to the North Alabama Convention, he was invited to pr ...