Grateful Today I wanted to write this weeks ago, and now with all that’s changed and slowed down in the world, I can do service and write. May all of you be well and cared for. In “Send Us Your Stories” in the Nov/Dec 2019 issue, one of the topics listed was “Breaking and Mending Relationships.” I must say, when I first … Read More
Million to One: A God Shot There’s a popular TV game show that I used to enjoy. I hadn’t watched it in maybe ten years, but recently my wife and the national news were excited about it because a professional sports gambler from Las Vegas was wowing the world, having already won just under a million dollars in only thirteen appearances. He was playing again on … Read More
My True Value Freedom from compulsion and excess weight is the treasure that those of us plagued by food addiction covet most! What does this freedom look like? A wise man said, “It’s a sparkle in the eye that exemplifies it.” Another source says it’s the genuine, natural smile on one’s face that whispers acceptance of others—after all, a smile is the universal … Read More
Roll Slow A gratitude item of mine has been “Learning to slow my roll, so I can learn my role.” And it still holds true every day of my OA program of recovery. What a gift! When I slow down, my Higher Power can show me the right path to take, the right choices to make, the right words to say, the … Read More
Extending Grace It’s funny sometimes how HP and the universe work to give me a sign. On Friday of this week, I went to a meeting and listened to a reading about service. That morning, the entry I’d read in Voices of Recovery was about service. And my sponsor and I had talked about service. Obviously, I needed to spend more time … Read More
Catastrophe Living I’ve always related to the idea that my cup was half empty, which was apparent in my behavior. My plate was never full enough. I always had to have a beverage at hand. Anxiety would develop if I thought I was going to run out of something in the cupboard (I still have issues with this, but now it happens … Read More
Three Sayings I get to write this article. I am so grateful I learned this affirmation early in my recovery. It started with a phone call to my sponsor. When I complained that I had to go to work, she said, “You get to work.” When I told her I had to do laundry, go to the bank, clean the house, or … Read More
Word of the Day Gratitude was not part of my vocabulary until I walked into an OA meeting. At times, I may have experienced gratitude or been aware of it, but I never verbalized it. Since coming to OA, I am aware of my gratitude on so many levels. First, I’m grateful that such an organization exists and is available to me wherever I … Read More
Gratitude Building For as long as I can remember, I carried so many of the world’s burdens on my shoulders. I worried about gas prices, nuke attacks, and the stupid things the men in my life did. I worried that I was ugly and couldn’t wear stylish clothes because they didn’t come in size “triple-Z.” I felt the need to share these … Read More
Gifts I Have “Have I been thankful for what I have, or have I ignored my blessings and focused on what I lack?” (Twelve and Twelve, Second Edition, pp. 33–34). In the past, I sometimes wasn’t thankful for what I had. I often longed for a better car, a better house, more money, and other things. Now that I’m in program, I am … Read More